Escape
by EclipsedbyJacob
Summary: Charlie and Rene force Bella into a hospital after Edward leaves. As it turns out, her roommate Clary has secrets, too. A friendship blossoms, as they escape the imprisonment. Twilight, Mortal Instruments X-over. Set in NM and Post CoA. R
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I read City of Bones by Cassandra Clare and the sequel City of Ashes, and couldn't resist a story. Problem is, there is no community for The Mortal Instruments series. So, I thought to myself, how do I write a fan fiction for a story that evidently no one has read or liked or whatever. **

**Then it hits me! Stephanie Meyers was the one to recommend the book, so why not a cross-over? They meld perfectly together, so I'm going for it. (There is a bit of a spoiler in it, so I hope no one is too offended. And it is a major one, but I couldn't write this without it. It's too much a part of the story line for the books. That, and it's too tempting a twist to leave it out.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own jack. The wonderfully talented Ms. Meyers and Ms. Clare have invented the characters I have fallen in love with. (I hope you do too!)**

**Chapter One**

**Spilling the Beans**

**or**

**Keeping Secrets**

_How did I end up here?_ Clary thought to herself.

When Simon never came home, his mother had been frantic. Unable to contact any one other than his mundane friends, she had finally tracked Clary to her own mother's sickbed.

Clary hadn't answered any of the questions that followed in any rational or coherent way, and they sent in a hospital psychologist. He had been a plain man with graying hair and a horrible green suit. His voice had lulled Clary into a passive state.

With the full moon approaching, there had been no chance for Luke to save her from the bombardment of leading questions and vague remarks. Clary had found herself growing more and more angry with the man as his questions probed deeper and deeper into her relationship with Simon. As she had still been unable to decide exactly how mad she was at Simon for running off with Maia in the first place, she was easily provoked into spilling the beans about everything: the Institute, the slain Silent Brothers in the City of Bones, Jace and the Shadowhunters, the Clave, Valentine and the forbidden. It had not ended well.

Clary had been dragged kicking and screaming to the top floor of the hospital, where she was shoved into an actual padded room. Clary had wept, until they transferred her to a small dorm-type room with two beds. The one closest to the barred window had a stack of linens, a gray wool blanket and a pair of white pajamas that looked more like scrubs. There hadn't even been a pillow.

A few weeks passed and Clary laid sprawled out on top of her bed, looking through the bars of the 10th floor window of the hospital. It was raining and the afternoon sky was a threatening gray. No one had come yet. There had been no phone calls, no break ins, no sign of life at all outside this fortress. She was beginning to think she had made up the whole mess in the first place. But she couldn't explain away Jace. Certainly _that_ had been real. She couldn't get him out of her mind! She saw him clearly, his golden hair and eyes, the cocky manner he spoke, and his soft warm delicious lips!

Clary shook her head. _Jace is your brother_, she chided herself. _Of course you ended up here thinking that way about your blood_.

Clary's stomach began to tie in knots. She felt as all the blood drained from her face into her stomach. It roiled, and she was sure to lose it any second.

"Are you ok?" A soft voice asked.

Surprised, Clary opened her eyes to see her roommate sitting on the edge of the bed opposite her, looking absolutely disgusted.

"I don't know," Clary managed to gurgle out. She cleared her throat. "I just want to know why no one's come for me yet."

The other girl laughed quietly. Her eyes grew wide as if she was surprised by the outburst, and she wrapped her arms around her chest. It was the first time the girl had said anything aloud, except when dreaming at night. Nightmares plagued the poor thing every night, but Clary hadn't approached her. She had stayed so distant.

Now, looking straight at her heart-shaped face and dark eyes, Clary was struck by how similar they were in both stature and looks. Even Clary's hair was the same rich shad of brown. The only difference was Clary's eyes were a light, almost green color.

"I'm sorry. I haven't laughed in awhile," she apologized. "It wasn't even that funny."

"Actually, it is funny, if you knew who I was waiting for. There's just no reason I'm still stuck in this place. I know I'm not crazy."

She smiled, but her brown eyes were twinkling with tears. "I'm Bella, by the way. I know I haven't been good company."

"Neither have I, or you'd know I'm Clary." Clary reached forward to shake Bella's hand. She noticed that Bella felt cold as ice. "Do you need a blanket?"

Bella laughed again. The sound was like bells tinkling in Clary's ears. "It would take a lot more than that to warm this soul," she said and sighed. The sound seemed very sad, a pain worse than any she had ever felt herself.

Clary shot her a small grin. She couldn't help it. It had been quite some time since she had been drawn to any girl her own age, but there was something about Bella that she couldn't ignore. "Now, that's the first thing that's made any sense to me since I got here!"

That evening, Bella and Clary shared a dinner on the balcony, overlooking the city. It was the time of day when both street lights and stars sparkled in the fading light. Bella became sullen and withdrawn. After having an otherwise pleasant day, her reaction left Clary feeling slightly dejected. She wasn't really sure if she should ask Bella what happened. She seemed too impassive for conversation.

The moon rose slowly as the pair continued in an uncomfortable silence. When the daylight had completely faded from the sky, Bella seemed to relax a little. Clary only shut off further. Bella's strange behavior had her feeling on edge, and desperately wishing to feel the smooth metal of her stele in her palm. At least then she could create a rune to escape this captivity. She truly understood how lost a shadowhunter was without one. It made her very common; worse than a mundane, a shadowhunter cast aside from the society she belonged in.

"Twilight is the hardest time of day for me. I'm sorry." Bella whispered the words. It seemed to be a painful confession, and Clary turned toward her.

"Why are you here, Bella?" Clary asked.

Bella stared back at her. Indecision was clear in her dark brown eyes. Clary felt like Bella was trying to make a choice whether or not Clary would believe her story. Inwardly, she hoped for the truth, but would Bella honestly give up her secrets? Aside from the fact that she spilled to Mr. Green Suit, Clary's story was hardly something she ever wanted to admit to any one ever again.

"You wouldn't believe me," Bella finally mumbled softly.

Clary let the sarcasm leak into her answer. "Try me."

Bella stared her down. "Ok," she said. "There are somethings you _might_ believe."

She stopped again. Clary could almost hear the thoughts being filed inside her mind as Bella rifled through her thoughts to decide what would be acceptable to share. They stared at each other in silence for an unmeasurable amount of time.

Finally Bella spoke again, wrapping her arms tight around her chest mimicking the gesture she used earlier. "I feel like it tears me apart to talk about him...about any of them," she began. "I feel like I lost my whole future."

Clary almost groaned. She was here because she got _dumped_? Clary really didn't want to hear any more, but Bella was already talking again.

"He was so perfect in every way, and so dazzling...and Ed-" Bella seemed to choke on his name. "Edward had this beautiful crooked grin..." She sighed and tears slipped out from her lashes. "I know you think its silly, but I can't tell you everything I was ready to give up for him. It sounds very childish, but Edward is..._was_ a part of me. When he left, I was ripped in two. Charlie... my dad," she clarified, "thought I'd gone in to a coma, and called my mom to take me to live in Florida with her. I couldn't go, Clary. I couldn't move away where the sun always shines!"

"Why?" Clary asked feeling the answer should be obvious to her..

"If I went somewhere I couldn't possibly imagine him living, how could I really be sure he ever really existed at all?" Bella seemed to be waiting for Clary to actually provide an answer, but Clary was stuck on what she had just said: _existed_. She was suddenly involved in the tale again, feeling like there was something much more interesting than love gone wrong.

"What do you mean?" Clary didn't want to seem too eager, but she wanted to fish the truth of Bella's tale.

"They belong _here_." She said simply.

Clary was surprised again. "_They_?"

"The Cullens, Edward's family."

Clary suddenly lost all patience. "Look, I know quite a bit about strange happenings, Bella. Whatever your secret, it will be safe with me. You have my word." She tried to make it as binding as a true Nephilim's promise, but wasn't sure how well it worked. Bella looked embarrassed, a blush rising in her cheeks. Clary found herself backtracking. "I mean, I have secrets, too. Maybe we...I don't know..."Clary inhaled deeply, then finally said, "I'm dying to tell somebody _my_ secret, Bella!"

Bella was biting her lip. Clary suddenly felt a blush creeping up her own cheeks. She wasn't really sure why she had blurted that out. It was so unusual to be so drawn to any one. The last person she'd felt any pull toward, besides Jace obviously, was Simon and that had been in preschool. The errant thought of Simon left a bitter taste in Clary's mouth. He had fussed so much about the girlfriend business that his choice to run off with Maia had caught her completely off guard. The rejection sank in about the time the hospital psychologist and two huge orderlies forced her arms through the white jacket. She shivered.

"It is getting chilly. Let's go back in," Bella whispered.

In our room, they laid in the dark for awhile not speaking. Clary thought they were each feeling out the next approach. There was more Bella could teach her and Clary didn't want to scare her off before it had been revealed.

**A/N (again): Please review and let me know what you think! I love all suggestions, comments, and flames. I am truly unbiased as long as you send me something to let me know you're out there!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I officially own nothing!**

Chapter Two

Not So Different

or

Runaway Vampire Boyfriends

Bella POV

There was a strange tension energizing the air. I didn't know what I should say to Clary. Despite our easy friendship, I still felt nervous around her. Especially when she was pushing for information. In the darkness, Clary cleared her throat.

"I'm not sure what I can even tell you," I whispered across the room. Clary didn't respond at first, but I could hear her steady breathing.

"Ok," she finally answered. "How about I go first? A secret for a secret. We'll start slow."

I chewed my bottom lip nervously waiting for the other girl to continue.

"Ok," she started again. "I found out that my entire life was a lie, and it was my mother who kept me from the truth. I don't think she would've ever came clean about it. I wonder how she'll react when she finds out how much I know now."

"Where is she?" I asked, already fearing the answer was not a good one.

Clary hesitated before answering my question, and when she finally did speak, her voice was rough. "On the fourth floor."

This information was slightly shocking. I silently wondered if the reason Clary was even in this place, was because her mother was too sick to look after her, and not that Clary had any disturbing mental problems. She certainly didn't seem crazy.

"She's...in a coma, I guess."

I was struck by the last part of her statement. "You guess?"

"Well, that's what the doctors say, anyway." Her voice seemed more quiet and reserved than it had been earlier.

"Does that mean you don't agree with their diagnosis?" I asked, curiosity piqued.

"No. I don't think she's in a coma at all." Clary answered in the same soft tone. "But wait, a secret for a secret, remember?"

I sighed. I guess it was my turn. "Um..." I said stalling as I tried to decide which was my least secretive of my secrets.

Clary interrupted my thoughts. "I'd like to know more about Edward," she said, voice returning to the normal tone again.

My chest ached sharply at the mention of his name, and I found myself wrapping my arms tightly across it to reign in the pain. "He said he didn't want me." Warm tears slipped from my eyes, traveled down my cheeks, and dripped silently from my chin.

Clary remained silent for a moment. "What I want to know is what you meant when you said you couldn't move any place where you couldn't imagine him _existing_. What did you mean?"

She certainly seemed very brazen with her question. I didn't want to answer her. I was too afraid that if I did tell her the truth, she would laugh and try to talk me out of believing it myself. No matter what happened, I had vowed I would never let his god-like face and velvet voice fade from my memory. I had been terrified since I arrived here that would happen.

When I opened my mouth to say so, I was cut off again. "Bella, I promise you that I can be trusted with the truth, however out there it might be. I have lots of practice with believing the unbelievable."

I was suddenly full of courage, almost as if Jasper had been throwing handfuls of it at me. I decided that every one already thought I was crazy. I might as well let it be known exactly how crazy I truly was. "I said 'existed', because Edward and the Cullens aren't like us."

Clary drew in her breath sharply. "What do you mean? If they're not like us, what are they?"

I stopped to register her question. She had said, _what_ are they instead of _who_. It didn't deter me in any way. I felt the sudden desire to tell her everything and that she would understand. Forget that Clary was a complete stranger. All I knew about her was her mother, who had lied to her, was now in something like a coma, six floors below us. I thought that maybe she would do more than just _understand. Maybe she would believe._ "What I have to say, I shouldn't say, Clary." I told her softly. "But I want to tell you anyway, even though it goes against my better judgment."

"Go on," Clary urged after a pregnant silence.

I sat up and moved quickly to Clary's bed, grabbing her hands as I sat. I momentarily wondered at how warm they seemed, but I was ready to spill it.

"Edward and his family are vampires," I said.

Clary gasped, but the lack of any emotion was disconcerting. After staring at her passive face for a long moment, I felt my face flush. I stood quickly, suddenly wishing I was anywhere in the world but here. I moaned. _Why did I have to go and open my big mouth? _I thought.

As I tried to step away, Clary hand shot forward and grabbed my elbow. I was surprised at how quickly she moved and at the strength behind her grip. Turning, I saw a clear look of disbelief and shock cross her face. My blush deepened, and I looked down at my bare feet against the cold tile floor.

Then, Clary released my arm and began laughing. It was a full release of amusement. After awhile, she attempted to gain control of herself before any one came in to see what the hysterics were about. I felt ready to crawl in a hole and die. I immediately craved the shelter on my only gray wool blanket. I was desperate to hide my face from this girl forever.

Clary's eyes met mine and the laughter died immediately. She stood and wrapped her arms around me. Her hair tickled my nose, as she breathed in deeply a few times before letting me free. "I'm sorry, Bella," she said, breath still coming in hard and fast. "It's just...my last boyfriend was a vampire too!"

She was back in full hysteric mode again, clutching her side as her tears leaked from her eyes. Now she was just making fun of me and I was starting to get angry. I turned quickly away, and flung myself face down on my bed.

Clary's chuckles were lessening, and I felt her weight next to me as she sat down on the bed. Clary put her hand on the back of my neck, and gently rubbed slow circles. "I'm not laughing at _you_," she promised. "It's just very ironic, don't you think?"

I turned to look at her face. She _looked_ serious.

"I'm serious," she said. "What are the chances that we both had downworlder boyfriends who abandoned us, which ultimately resulted in our confinement here?"

I didn't think I heard her right. "Did you just say _downworlder_?"

"Yeah, you know, vampires, werewolves, fairies, warlocks...downworlders," she said as if I was missing some obviously crucial point. "Ok, maybe you're not familiar with the terms, but the point was that you and I are more alike than you know, Bella." Clary's face was stretched into a wide smile.

I looked back, eyes wide with astonishment. Clary pulled me into an inviting hug and began to tell her tale. She had evidentially decided I had spilled my guts enough for now, though I had barely said anything at all.

"I had always seen things, things that weren't really there. Only, they _were_. Every terrifying tale we hear when we are children is true, or at least based on truth. That's what my mother hid from me. She was a shadowhunter but had escaped before I was born. But it couldn't be stopped, no matter how hard my mom tried to block my mind from it, I was exactly like her.

"The first time I saw a demon, and figured out exactly what it was, my whole life changed. That's when I met Jace."

Clary paused. "He's the vampire?" I asked.

"No." She didn't seem to want to elaborate. "He's a shadowhunter, too."

I felt the distinct feeling that she was leaving something out, but didn't press her. I wanted to hear everything first.

"I watched him kill the demon. Not that they really die. They just return to their own world. Anyway, Jace found me again later that night. He was surprised I had seen anything at the Pandemonium club. My friend Simon thought I was losing it. Usually, mundanes," Clary paused and looked at my confused expression. "Mundanes are humans," she clarified. "Mundanes can't see through the glamor. They only see what the Nephilim want them to see. Nephilim are shadowhunters," she clued me in again. "Well, that's when everything went nuts. My mom was attacked and kidnapped. I found out that my surrogate father of sorts was a werewolf. And I met Valentine, my real father. He's an evil, evil man." Clary's voice trailed off as she lost herself in her thoughts again. "He's the reason my mom is downstairs lost in her own private black hole.

"Well, Jace and I, with his...adoptive siblings found out that Valentine was after the Mortal Cup, and that my mom had been in possession of it before Valentine attacked her. But, my mind had been wiped, so we went to the City of Bones where the Silent Brothers guard the Clave's secrets. (The Clave is the hierarchy of Nephilim.) But they couldn't bring back my memories.

"Then, we found Magnus. He's a High Warlock. He immediately recognized me, because he had been the reason my mind was missing in the first place. He still hasn't finished untying the bonds he made, but we are hopeful he will eventually be successful. The night we first met him, he had a party of downworlders and my friend Simon drank some strange potion and was turned into a rat."

As she recounted the disaster that followed, I gasped aloud. A vampire coven took her friend to their home and in trying to free himself from his bloodthirsty captors, Simon bit the finger of the leader. The story was leaving a bitter taste in my mouth as I deduced these were no vegans. Eventually, that ordeal brought Simon back to them willingly, and that time he didn't fare as well. He had been changed, and Clary had watched him rise from the earth. She almost cried when she told me how he had lunged at her afterwards, crazed by the thirst. I shuddered, knowing that was what I had wanted for my own future.

"He told me he wanted to be with only me. At first I didn't think of him like that. We knew each other since we were in preschool, but I finally gave in. Not long after his change, he left with a werewolf from Luke's pack. After everything he told me, he decided none of it was real. I mean, vampires and werewolves are _enemies_."

It seemed like Clary wasn't too upset over Simon walking away from her, even though she tried to seem like it did. She tried to hide it, but I could sense there was more to her relationship with Jace than she was letting on. I felt very strongly there was _much _more to it. I wondered why she was denying herself any happiness.

Clary continued rambling on into the night. She explained as much as she could to me, but kept reminding me that she had barely discovered the information herself.

The sky outside our barred little window was beginning to lighten from black to a dark blue as the sun crept closer to the horizon. Clary matched my shocked expression as she followed the direction of my eyes. We both settled lower onto my bed.

"Tomorrow it's you turn," she said sleepily, laying her head against my shoulder. And even though she was much too warm, it felt very comforting to have her next to me. Her quiet snores lulled me into a peaceful sleep. For the first time in months, I didn't wake screaming.

**A/N: I feel like I didn't really get into Bella's character in this chapter. I normally have a better grasp on her personality. I think it has to do with mixing the two stories, but I'll try to do better next time.**

**BTW, I just wanted to do a little back story for the Mortal Instruments, because I'm not sure how many people have read them yet.**

**As always, REVIEW!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: Stephanie Meyers and Cassandra Clare are the women who invented the unbelievably great characters I borrowed for my story. Alas, they will never truly belong to me!**

Chapter 3

Closer to Home

or

A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing

Before Clary had the chance to drill drill me on the Cullens, Mark, one of the tall, lanky orderlies knocked on our door. He popped his head in before we even had a chance to blink.

"Swan, visitor," he barked, retreating.

My eyes met Clary's with a shocked expression. _Who would be here to visit me?_

Clary shifted her gaze to the small ceiling vent. Where she had been laughing and smiling with me, minutes earlier, she now seemed distant and withdrawn. A small pout puckered her lips.

I stared at her silently for a minute and reached for the handle of the door.

"Well..." I began to say goodbye, but changed my mind suddenly. If I left, who knew if she would fade away, proving once and for all I was completely insane? No. I couldn't risk it. "Are you coming or not?" I asked instead.

I yanked the door open as she turned slowly. "You want me to come with you?" She seemed shocked.

I held a hand out to her. "It's probably just Char...my dad."

Clary stood, uncertainty still plain on her face, and grabbed my open hand. We walked out the door and started toward the rec room where visitors waited. She walked slow and silent down the long hallway.

Mumbling something under her breath about not feeling well, she approached the doors slowly. I pushed open the double doors of our destination. As soon as I stepped into the ultra-white room, Clary gasped and I let out an excited shriek.

A very familiar set of black eyes met mine from across the room, followed closely by a brilliant smile.

"Bells!" He yelled out, brightly.

He made his way quickly to my side and pulled me from the floor and into a bone-crunching hug.

"Jake..." I choked out, "Can't – breathe..."

Jacob released me to my own two feet carefully, expecting that once he let go, I would fall flat on my face. He looked deep into my eyes, smile never faltering.

"It's so good to see you, Bells," Jake said happily, grabbing my hand and leading me to one of the dozen or so round tables that dotted the perimeter of the room. He pulled me quickly into one of the hideous yellow chairs, and looked into my eyes again, as if he was concentrating very hard on something. The gaze was intense to the point that I had to break away the eye contact. I rolled my eyes over to where Clary still hung by the door. Her face was twisted in a look of shock as she stared open-mouthed.

I could understand why. Jacob had grown more than half a foot in the month since I had last seen him. It was more than that, too. His once lanky body had filled out considerably, and his nearly too small t-shirt strained to cover the bands of muscles wound around his arms and chest. The black sheet of silken hair was cut short to his scalp. It looked amazing, but I missed the shiny length that he had once donned. I reached up to touch what was left of his hair, when Jacob glanced over my shoulder.

"A friend of yours, Bella?" He asked raising an eyebrow.

Dropping my hand quickly, I turned back to Clary who still stood against the doors. I waved her over impatiently, but she seemed to drag her feet as she moved. Clary's eyes darted back and forth nervously. It almost seemed like she was debating whether or not she should bolt right back out the door.

When she was close enough, I stood to introduce them. "Jacob, this is my roommate. Clary, this is-"

"Downworlder," Clary interrupted me with a hiss.

Now I was the one standing there looking like a moron with surprise etched on my face. "No," I started quietly, "This is Jacob Black, my friend. You must have him confused with some-"

She interrupted again. "A downworlder is not a _who_," she said sharply. "It's a _what_."

I was even more lost at this statement than I had been. I glanced over at Jake, to analyze his reaction. He stood still and calm, as always. It did seem like his jaw muscle was stretched tight, but he was keeping all emotion from his permanently tanned face. Determined not to get angry with Clary, I looked back at her.

"What do you mean?" I meant it threateningly, but it left my mouth in a confused lump, nearly devoid of any real emotion, despite the fact I could feel my anger beginning to boil.

Who did she think she was, trying to insult my friend? My best friend...

My heartbeats sputtered a few times. After the Cullens left me, I had found my only comfort from Jacob. It was all just a superficial attempt at normalcy, but it was Jacob I had run to drown myself in my delusions. With his help, I heard Edward's voice every time I hopped onto my little red motorcycle that Jacob had rebuilt for me. Sweet as velvet, Edward hissed warnings in my head not to continue with my foolish and downright dangerous behaviors.

But, by the time I realized I could hear the succulent voice of the vampire who didn't want me anymore, it was too late to stop. I was addicted to the angry words that constantly berated my thoughts in said situations.

I should have listened. I knew that now.

On an afternoon a few months ago, Jacob and I went to our usual place to ride our bikes under the radar of any local authorities, Charlie most prominent on that list. It had rained for the previous three days, and the ground had been thick in a sticky brown mud. I, with the world forever conspiring against my happiness, was just hopping onto my bike when a police cruiser rounded the corner.

Jacob had let out a string of curses under his breath, as Charlie pulled up next to me. His usually calm face was purple with rage, and he immediately started shouting. I think he went on for about five hours, before he finally said the one thing that sent me over the edge.

We hadn't said anything for a minute straight, and the echoing silence seemed much worse than the constant yelling.

"Bella, I don't know who you are any more. It's like you've lost yourself, and watching you trying to..._live_...is the worst thing I've ever gone through in my life. I've called Renee, and she'll be here tomorrow to take you back with her Jacksonville."

For a moment, I looked at Charlie completely puzzled. He made no attempt to say more, just waited for my reaction. To pacify him, I let his words sink in.

And they did.

I knew that my face must have looked horrifying as I stared him down. "I will _never_ leave." I snarled at him.

"Yes, you will, Isabella," he answered my insulting voice softly.

I looked long and hard at him, as I felt the holes in my chest rip into sharper pieces. They stabbed into me painfully, and as the tears began to run from my eyes, I screamed at him. "I can't go anywhere _he_ can't be!"

I knew Charlie would find no rational sense in my words, but I hoped that my fury would be enough to get him to back off. But that night, Charlie wasn't hearing it. He slipped easily into his role as Chief Swan. "There's no need to get upset over something you have no control."

My anger piqued. "I have no control over anything that _happens_ in my life, Charlie." I hissed. "But I do have control my choices. I'm eighteen, and I'll stay here in Forks, _thank you very much_."

Charlie's face blushed a pale pink, but he seemed undeterred. He continued on with soft defiance. "Your mother will be able to help you..."

"No," I spat at him.

The blush on his cheeks burst again to the same daunting purple it had been when he caught me on the motorcycle earlier. He was past trying to reason with me. I suppose, by that point, I was beyond all reasoning anyway. All his disgust at what Edward had done to me (something I would never hold against _him_) came seeping out venomously with his next statement.

"He will _never_ come back here."

That's when I fell back into the darkness. I remembered talking to Jacob the next morning, but he stopped taking my calls after that. I felt utterly alone, and let myself slip into the blackness swirling inside my mind. And I vaguely recalled that Renee had come, but when they tried to put clothes in a suitcase to take to Florida, I erupted. My intense fury was the only thing I could remember after that. I had been so angry...

I was shaken from my haze the day I entered my room to see Clary about to throw up all over my bed. I'm not exactly sure how it even happened. The moment before I had been seriously contemplating finishing this life, so there'd be no more pain to inflict on those I loved. As soon as I saw her, though I had glanced in her direction a million times or more in the previous three weeks, I was thrust rudely back into reality. I had actually begun to believe, up to that point, that I _was_ crazy. How many people throw a computer at a wall, just to stop thinking about moving away to sunny Jacksonville?

Instead of seeing how normal life was supposed to be, through Clary, I glimpsed the world I so desperately wanted too keep alive. She had saved me that afternoon, without knowing that I was even in trouble.

My heart jumped back into a regular rhythm again.

"I mean," Clary looked me full in the eyes, "He's a _werewolf_."

The whispered words left her mouth thick with accusation. I laughed aloud. She must be joking. I looked over to Jacob to gage his reaction. He was never one to pass up a good laugh. What I saw on Jacob's face caused my voice to shrivel in my throat.

He was peering around the room, looking to see if anyone had heard Clary's words. His face had gone from the familiar and bright one I recognized from our many afternoons together, to a surly, brooding mask with which I had no experience. His eyes seemed to be bubbling with anger.

Slowly, Jacob brought his gaze back to Clary. He seemed unsure how to approach this. In my mind I balked again. Surely, this was all some great joke, and no one had seen the punch line yet. But taking in the faces of my two friends as they stared at each other, I was unable to deny the tension that flowed between them.

Suddenly, I was assaulted with my first meeting with Jacob Black. That afternoon on first beach, he had revealed Edward's secret to me unknowingly. But there had been more to his stories. He had spoken more of the Quileute tribe. He had told me that his ancestors had been wolf men...werewolves.

I gasped as the realization of truth hit me like a semi. I raised a shaky hand to my mouth to muffle the shock.

Jake looked back to me again and his mask of indifference slipped away. His face crumpled and he looked totally destroyed. Without thinking, I lifted my hand to his chin and held his eyes locked with mine. "Oh, Jake," I sighed.

He closed the space between me, and wrapped his strong arms tightly around my waist. "I've needed you, Bells. I don't know..." he choked on the rest of his thought. I buried my face into his neck. He felt like he was burning.

Clary walked around us to take a seat at our previously occupied table. As Jake released his hold on me, she motioned for us to follow her.

We sat across the table and I felt Jacob's eyes searching me, as I stared at Clary. I had a million questions for Jacob, but those could wait. I had one for Clary first. Jacob beat me to the punch.

Without tearing his eyes from me, he asked my question quietly. "How did you know?"

She sat in silence for a long moment, looking first at me and then at Jake. "My boyfriend just ran of with a werewolf," she said.

I was completely stunned, but Jacob's face stretched into a wide smile. "We tend to have an animalistic attraction," he said like it was an confession.

Clary glared at him. "I didn't mean it as a compliment," she hissed at him.

Jacob's smile didn't waver. "But that's the way I took it."

They were staring at each other with mutual curiosity. It made no sense. On what grounds should they have any animosity toward each other? By the tense air that swallowed us, I knew we were quickly approaching a crossroads. I felt like I had to say something that would ease this tension.

Again, Jacob beat me to the punch. He cleared his throat in an apparent attempt to shake himself free of his unfounded distaste. "Look, we don't have to be enemies. I wasn't the one who ran off with your boy toy, but you can't blame the wolf. Any guy that would leave you has some major mental problems."

A blush rose into Jake's cheeks as he looked around, suddenly remembering where we were and why. He coughed. "I mean, you seem like a nice girl and all-"

"Enough," Clary interrupted harshly, but I saw the ghost of a smile playing at the corners of her mouth.

"Exactly," I jumped in. "I want to know how did you know that Clary? I didn't even..." I let my words trail off.

Clary was looking at me again. "Remember when I told you I was Shadowhunter?" She asked me.

I nodded, seeing Jacob's face blurred in confusion from the corner of my eye.

"Well, technically, I'm supposed to protect _you_ from him." She said quickly.

"Bella doesn't need any protection from me," he said indignantly.

"From any creature not human, really," she added after stealing a peak at Jacob's hard stare.

"I don't get it," I whispered. "I thought Shadowhunters only fought off demons?"

Jacob now looked at me. The look on his face was no longer confused. He now looked worried and it was easy to guess why. This kind of talk was what landed both Clary and I here in the first place. I wanted to reassure him of my sanity (or at least what_ I_ believed was sanity.) Just as my hand touched the heat of his arm, Mark the orderlie, appeared hovering over us. He was so close, I could feel his breath as he breathed down my neck.

"Visiting hours are over, Swan, Fray," he said maliciously before walking over to the set of double doors waiting for us to follow.

I looked quickly at Jacob. "Oh, please come back on Sunday!" I begged. Even though we hadn't done much catching up, I felt like by the next time I saw Jake I would know him much better. With Clary's help, of course.

He plastered on his best smile as he answered my pleas. "Sure, sure. I feel no where near done with this conversation." He laughed deeply, and I was struck again at how mature he looked. Definitely not like the sixteen year old boy I spent so many afternoons hiding with in his garage.

Clary and I stood slowly from our seats. Jacob reached up and grabbed my hand with a firm grasp. His black eyes shone bright as they bore into mine. Clary slipped quietly away, so we could have a private moment before Jacob was forced to leave again.

"Are you ok here?" He asked in genuine concern.

"I don't know, Jake. At least now I know I'm not crazy." I answered, looking at our hands twined together in a familiar way.

He looked like he wanted to say more, but Mark's voice barked at me again. "Now, Swan!"

I shot my arms around Jacob's neck and pulled him close. I didn't want to think that my best friend was another sort of mythical being. My life had already met its quota of abnormalcy, but in his arms I couldn't imagine any other place that could so completely be called _home_.

**A/N: First, sorry if there are a bunch of errors. I can't keep my eyes open for one more second to re-read this! (It's 4 AM!)  
**

**Second, my deepest apologies for the time it took to update. I got stuck, as per usual. I know exactly what's going to happen, it's getting you there that's half the battle.**

** Last, I love reading reviews! So please don't hesitate to push that little blue button!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: All characters are owned by their respective authors. **

Chapter 4

Worries

or

A Brother's Love

Jace paced across the five foot section of empty carpet in his room, the same way he had every day for the past month. His nerves were evident as he clenched his hands into tight balls at his side. In one fist, he held a tiny black cell phone.

Jace flipped it open again impatiently and dialed a number. It rang three times before her familiar voice invited him to leave a message. Jace shook his head roughly, trying to recall exactly what had happened the last time he had seen his _sister_.

She appeared at the Institute, looking flushed in her hurry to see him. He had been as excited as she was, but kept it hidden under a cool face of indifference. He had been on his way to the diner around the corner, and invited Clary to join him. Jace was aware that she had something she was dying to say, but unwilling to take any further rejection, he hadn't let her speak. That's when he looked straight into her hazel eyes and told the ultimate lie: that he would accept the only love she would offer him. But that was an impossibility.

The act of deception had left a bitter taste in his mouth since that day. Maybe Clary had seen right through him, to the truth. He had never felt like he was able to hide his true self from Clary. They seemed to be so deeply connected that they shared most of their thoughts. But, Jace had to admit, there was one thought they shared that Clary was absolutely against. That they should be _together_ in any way other than as siblings.

The acceptance of this still left the sting inside his chest. The only thing he had ever truly wanted in this world, and it had been denied to him on the most basic human level. One does not get involved with his sister, no matter how drawn to her he was.

He shook his head again and stopped pacing as Clary's voice ended and a high-pitched beep indicated he should start talking.

"Clary? Where are you? I just need to...to talk to you and make sure you're ok. What happened? If I said anything to upset you, I didn't mean to. The last thing I ever want to do is hurt you, Clary. I just need to know you're alright. Please please please call me back, just so I know everything is ok."

He paused, pulling the phone slightly away from his ear. Jace exhaled in a large gust.

"If...if you can't talk with me...then call Luke. He's beside himself with worry, Clary. You need to tell some one where you are." He paused again, ready to try and force the same words that he tried to say every day since Clary had disappeared and damn the consequences. "Clary...I lo-"

A long beep interrupted him, again, signifying his message was over. Jace threw himself on his bed, and closed the phone with a snap. His mind was reeling again, just as it did every time he tried to contact his sister.

What had he done to deserve this? The emotional roller coaster that assaulted him, was draining, and Jace closed his eyes to welcome sleep. It was something he couldn't have. For a whole month, the only sleep Jace got was when he was on the bus in the early morning hours of the city.

Without opening his troubled eyes, Jace flipped open his phone again, dialing a number by touch. This time, the other end answered after the first ring.

"Clary!" The deep voice on the other end did nothing to hide his panic.

"No, Luke, it's just me," he admitted.

There was a pause as Luke sighed. "Jace...have you heard anything yet?"

Jace shook his head as he answered. "I don't really expect her to call me." That admittance was the easiest to speak, but the hardest to accept.

"Look, Jace, I've contacted the police and the coastguard, and I know Maryse has contacted the Clave in Idris. We'll find Clary when she wants to be found." He spoke all facts, but they seemed more like a string of lies to Jace. He knew Luke had no idea where Clary had disappeared, but wasn't sure if he'd tell him if he did know."Any word about Valentine?" Luke broke through his distressing thoughts.

Jace almost choked. "No," he answered venomously. "There has been no word of our _father_."

Jace's mind began reeling again. They had neither heard nor seen anything from Valentine since Clary drew the rune that sunk his boat to the bottom of the river. His deepest, unspoken fear was that he had gotten to Clary. He had the power to turn her to his side, and that's what terrified Jace the most. That Clary could choose their father over him. He groaned at the thought of that betrayal.

"What about Simon?" Jace repeated the same question he had every day.

"Actually," Luke began slowly. "He called about ten minutes ago."

Jace sat up straight on his bed, utter surprise coursing through his veins. "Today!" He shouted at Luke. "What did he say?"

"He hasn't seen Clary," Luke answered in a low voice. "He's been with Maia."

_Maia?_ Jace thought wildly. _He's been gone for a month with Maia? Then, what happened to Clary? _ He was certainly more ill at ease than he had been in the four weeks leading up to this point. If she wasn't with Simon, there was something most definitely wrong.

Luke seemed to sense his discomfort through the phone. "Jace, Clary has an unnatural knack for keeping herself safe."

"Yes, but she also has the knack for attracting unnatural trouble," Jace replied quietly. In his mind, Clary had been close to death many times, and if not for Jace's interference, she would have ended up that way.

Luke didn't exactly agree with that assessment. After all, as he reminded Jace daily, she had defeated he first demon by shoving a sensor through it's chest and brought down an entire army of demons with one rune. Jace knew Clary was more than capable of taking care of her self, but what she lacked was the proper training a Shadowhunter needed and that was what truly made Jace uncomfortable.

"Give me his number," Jace demanded.

He could hear as Luke rifled through some papers, before he counted off the phone number. Jace barely said goodbye to Luke, before disconnecting the call and began typing in Simon's unfamiliar phone number.

Simon answered with a lazy drawl. "Hello?"

"Where's Clary, _Mundane_?" I hissed at him immediately.

Simon laughed. "Still tying to insult me with your bigotry, Jace?"

Jace stayed silent for a long moment, breathing in deeply to steady himself. Simon had always been able to conjure up the feelings of jealousy that evaded him from any one else. "Just looking for Clary," he finally said softly.

Now, it was Simon's turn to stay quiet. He groaned deeply before speaking. "I haven't seen her, Jace." His voice was strained.

"Where is she?" Jace wondered more to himself than Simon.

The rest of the conversation finished quickly. His distaste for both mundanes and downworlders left Simon at the bottom of his friendship ring. Not that he didn't get along much better with the vampire. Especially since Jace had saved his life twice on Valentine's boat.

Jace rubbed unconsciously at the two small scars on his neck. Jace had let Simon nearly kill him, after he had discovered the vampire, drained and left for dead in the bowels of the ship. Later, he had thrown a scrap of metal to Simon so he wouldn't touch the purity water from the river, which most certainly would have brought him a painful burning death. Jace knew exactly why he had risked everything for someone he could barely stand. It had all been for Clary, for his sister and her happy ending. That was something Jace didn't even dwell on any more. There would be no happy ending for him, that much was for certain. Not that he deserved it anyway.

Jace was back on his feet, swiftly pacing back and forth again. His golden hair hung messily in his eyes, but he didn't bother to wipe it away. His thoughts were consumed by thoughts of Clary: her long brown hair, her easy smile, the way she looked at him when she thought he wouldn't notice...

_Clary, _he lamented. _Where are you?_

Jace could see why she would leave without telling him, and Simon. He could also see why she wouldn't say anything to Luke, either. We had all lied to her, hurt her. But there was one person that Clary would never leave behind.

In mid step, Jace twirled and ran from his room. He ignored Alec as he called out and escaped the Institute for the busy city road.

Less than an hour later, Jace was climbing the steps to the hospital. He was concentrating on the sign above the entrance way, and barely noticed the dark skinned man walking out. The collided hard. Jace looked into the eyes of the barrier, whom he could now see was not really a man at all. He was still a boy, a big one at that, but young, nonetheless.

The other boy growled at Jace, the sound resonating from his throat.

"Are you insane, downworlder?" Jace hissed lowly. "Do you want every one to see you?"

The other looked back with dark eyes that clung to some hefty emotion. "Why does everyone keep calling me that?" He growled.

"You prefer werewolf, lycanthrope?"

The boy's eyes widened. He seemed genuinely shocked that Jace knew his secret but he stayed silent.

"Move it, mutt," Jace snarled and tried to push by. The dark flesh of the werewolf didn't give easily. He looked hard at Jace for a long moment, before finally giving in and stepping aside.

Jace's nerves quickly gave way to anger, which always seemed so close to the surface these days. "You better hope I don't run into you again, wolf." He threatened.

"I'm looking forward to it," the boy softly growled over his shoulder as he ran down the rest of the staircase.

Jace ran the rest of the way inside the building and straight to a blond girl sitting at the information desk.

"Ms. Fray's room, please," he spat quickly.

The girl at the desk took her time typing in Clary's mom's name. She tapped her pencil pleasantly waiting for the computer to respond to the request. Jace's own long fingers strummed his impatience on the counter.

Her voice was a high squeak when she finally spoke. "Room 1010."

Jace stood staring at her blankly. When he had come before, he was sure she had been somewhere on the fourth floor. Room 1010 would be on the top floor.

He lifted his mouth into an unamused smile. "Was she moved recently?" He asked smoothly.

"No," she squeaked. "As far as I know, all inpatient treatments are conducted on the top floor."

Jace still stared at her. "That's Fray?" He asked and spelled the name for her.

She rolled her blue eyes. "Yes." She said with borderline rudeness. "Room 1010." Then the girl turned her head away.

Jace was left to shift through his own confusion. The room number kept running through his head. Why would Clary's mom be moved to the tenth floor...unless she was awake!

He took off at a sprint to the elevators and shoved his finger repeatedly into the up button. His mind was racing. Why hadn't Like mentioned she had come out of her coma? Maybe he didn't know yet. Jocelyn Fray was the only connection to Clary he had at this point, and he was going to use her to whatever advantage he could. Clary's mom..._his_ mom...

Jace shuddered as he stepped onto the elevator and pressed the appropriate floor. The doors slowly closed behind him, and Jace anxiously tried to think what he could possibly say to the mother he had never known, to the mother who had abandoned him as a toddler. Regardless, she had thought he was dead, Jace held much animosity for the stranger. Even more so, that she never once told Clary the truth of what she was, where she was going, and who'd she'd be when she got there.

The lift ground to an ungraceful stop at the top floor. Jace sucked in a deep breath to prepare him for the upcoming confrontation. He stepped forward carefully, ready to finally meet his mother, a woman with whom he had never spoken.

**A/N: I know this one is short. That's because dialog is my downfall. As always, questions comments and criticisms are gratefully accepted. Just review!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I love Stephanie Meyers and Cassandra Clare. Write on, women!**

Chapter Five

One Sweet Reunion

or

Stairway to Freedom

As soon as the lift doors opened, Jace rushed into the hallway. He was stopped by a large set of locked doors. A small golden plaque next to them read: Inpatient Psychiatric Unit Rooms 1000-1100.

It struck him as odd. How had Jocelyn Fray ended up in the psychiatric ward? Maybe she had spilled her secrets when she awoke. That would be the only way to end up somewhere like this. Of course they would think she was nuttier than a loon.

He pressed his nose against the cool glass to get a better view inside. He saw no movement anywhere, just a long hallway. Far on the other side, he could see another set of doors, just like the ones he stood before. One of them opened widely, and a tall girl with flowing brown hair walked nervously from the room. A tall, lanky man with ashy hair and in brilliant white scrubs followed closely behind her. That seemed the source of her angst as she nervously replied to whatever he was saying. The girls eyes dropped to the floor, and a sweet pink blush colored her cheeks.

As soon as her head dropped, the man spun her around, and pressed her hard against one of the doors. She immediately tensed and began shaking her head. A long fingered hand reached up and grabbed her throat roughly.

Jace's eyes went wide. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. _ How can he do that in the middle of the day, in a hospital_? Jace wondered.

_What do you care? She just another common Mundie. _He argued with himself.

But Jace already knew why. She looked too much like Clary, with her long shiny hair, and her innocent expression. He growled softly, and pulled his stele from his pocket. He wasn't about to let that poor girl endure any more torture at the hands of that _human _monster.

With an expertise that only comes from using a stele thousand times, Jace swiftly drew the rune to unlock doors. There was a soft click as it took effect and the charred character burned away to a pale gray ash. He grabbed the door and slipped through.

The pair at the end of the hallway hadn't noticed his entrance, and he could now hear the hushed conversation drifting from them.

"Just leave me alone, please," she begged him softly.

The man shook his head, "It's something we both want, Swan." His hand slid from her throat and slowly down her chest. He stopped and pinched her nipple with a dark smile on his face. The girl gasped in pain.

It was too much. Jace strode stealthily down the corridor. When he was close enough, Jace pulled back his arm and landed it in the middle of the nurse's smirking face. He hadn't seen it coming at all, and crumpled in a heap at Jace's feet. The man's eyes rolled back into his head, exposing a sliver of white beneath his drooping lids. Jace knew he was out cold, but this was a hospital after all. Some one was bound to walk by sooner or later and discover the would-be rapist laying on the tile.

"Come on," he urged the girl, taking her small hand.

She looked into his eyes with a shocked expression. She seemed to be searching his golden eyes for something...something she was very familiar with. It made Jace feel slightly uneasy, but he knew time was of the essence.

"Let's go," he demanded in a strong voice and he began to pull her toward the exit. The girl's legs made no attempt to move, and she fell sideways. Jace pulled up on her arm in a fluid motion and managed to save her backside the brunt of the fall. He also nearly managed to yank her arm out of socket.

Shakily, she rose to her feet and smiled at him. "Thank you," she whispered and began to let him guide her to the exit. "Where are we going?"

Jace paused. A smile brightened his face. "Why, off to Never-Never Land, of course."

The girl giggled as he lowered into a bow.

He straightened his back and began to move again. Jace contemplated his strange desire to protect this girl, like she was incapable of doing so on her own. This was how it should feel to love a _sister_, he thought bitterly. It was inevitable that he would compare the girl to Clary. Clary, who made his heart pound and his knees grow weak. Clary who was beautiful and naïve and breathtaking. Clary, who was his _true_ sister. The thoughts were like venom, burning as they coursed through his mind.

Jace suddenly noticed resistance from the arm holding Bella. When he met her eyes, they were furious. "I can't leave!" She gasped.

He dropped her hand. "Fine if you want to stay..." Jace's eyes rolled back toward the heap of male nurse behind her.

"No!" She almost shouted. "I can't leave without my roommate."

"What do I look like to you? I'm not here to spring any crazies in the first place. Don't press your luck, girl." He knew it came across rudely, but Mundanes could be so dense.

"It's Bella, not _girl_" she hissed back, staring directly into his eyes. "And it'll only take a minute." Instantly, all the anger fell from her face. She kept her eyes on his so he could see as the tears threatened. "_Please_..."

Jace tilted his chin toward the ceiling and sighed. "I'll walk slowly, but hurry. You won't get out of here without me."

As soon as he released her hand, Bella ran back a few doors, and flung herself inside her room. He kept his promise by walking as slow as he could, but Jace's bright eyes roamed the hallway, looking for any one who might stumble across their escape. Down one of the side corridors, he could hear the soft shuffle as some one walked, but it quickly faded away from him.

When he had reached the exit, he stared intently at the door Bella had disappeared into. Grabbing the handle, Jace pushed it open an inch, just as Bella led someone into the hallway. An alarm began echoing off the walls, and two security guards appeared out of nowhere.

"Hey! You three! Stop!" One of them yelled.

"Run, Bella!" Jace shouted, and headed out the door. He stopped to let the escapees out first. As they ran toward the elevator, Jace smelt a wonderfully familiar scent, but turned quickly back to the door. Once again he pulled out his stele to mark the door, and raced into the elevator just as they closed.

Inside, he panted softly.

"Well, that was almost exciting," Bella said softly.

"We're not out of the hospital yet," Jace answered.

There was a gasp. He swung himself around quickly and was looking right into the eyes of the only woman he would ever love. "Clary." Her name left his lips like a sigh.

"Jace?" She was shocked, and her hazel eyes blazed. He was, of course, in a similar confused stupor. They stared at each other intensely. Silent seconds dripped away.

Finally, Bella cleared her throat softly. "Not to intrude on what is a sweet reunion, but Jace, you're right. We're not out yet. If they catch us and put us back up there, I ..." She didn't seem to vocalize the rest of her fear.

Jace nodded, and tore his eyes from Clary long enough to shoot a reassuring smile at Bella and jab the third floor button on the wall. The door spread a few moments later and Jace held his hand up as he took one step outside the door to scan the hallway beyond. Clary raised her own shaky hand and laced her fingers with his. It took him a moment to respond, but he finally wrapped his own long fingers around hers and pulled her out the door.

"This way," he whispered.

The trio walked swiftly down the hall, eyes roving everywhere. At the end of this corridor was the fire exit.

"We can take the stairs to the garages, and escape through there. Bella and Clary nodded and walked through the door he held open for them.

Then, they were running down three flights of steep cement stairs, descending further below the city streets. Once they reached the bottom, Jace easily located a utility tunnel that led them beneath a nearby office building, and they were able to escape to the street above.

As they stepped in to the late afternoon sun, they let out a collective sigh of relief.

Clary's fingers were still entwined with Jace's. In the light of day, she seemed to rethink the gesture and blushed. Then, she shook her hand free. His face fell slightly before he pulled it back into a mask of indifference.

"What do we do now?" Bella wondered, trying to push away the tension flowing between Jace and Clary.

"Well, first, I think we ought to get you girls into some decent clothes. You look simply _criminal_." A smirk flitted across his face.

Clary and Bella looked down at the standard issue hospital garb. Thank god, they had on sweats under the open backed gowns! The girls nodded in agreement, just as Jace stuck out the hand previously occupied with Clary's. Moments later they piled in the back of the cab, on their way to the Institute.

**A/N: Is it getting confusing when I shift perspectives? It's hard not to because (as we all know, Twilight is written in first person, and City of Bones is in third. Let me know if it gets annoying, and I'll try real hard to stick to one, but unless no one has an opinion, I'll keep at it in the way I am...**

**I'll just keep plucking away at this, but I need more reviews as fuel! **


	6. Chapter 6

**Standard disclaimer applies. Nothing belongs to me.  
**

**Chapter 6**

**Jacob**

**or**

**Edward**

"Well, what the hell are you going to do about it?!" I was beyond patience now. I had called dozens of times each day for the past two weeks, and Charlie was as unemotional and detached as he had been the day I returned from the hospital that Sunday.

As soon as I got back to La Push that afternoon, Billy took one look at my face and immediately called Charlie.

"Are you sure this is what's best?" My father's voice was full of concern as he spoke to Charlie over the phone. Bella was just like a member of our family.

None of Charlie's answers made Billy relax. Infact, he seemed to grow more disturbed at each word from the other end on the phone. But Charlie kept his professional voice throughout the conversation, telling Billy not to worry, that Bella would call when she blew off some steam. I had known Charlie for my entire life, and never felt anything besides adoration for the man. Now, I only felt hate building in my chest.

By the time Charlie abruptly ended the conversation, my whole body was shaking. Of course, I had been angry when he had told us where Bella was. But this was much deeper. I had to swallow hard to try and force the anger down. I knew losing control so close to Billy could be fatal, a mistake I had no desire to allow in any space occupied by some one I loved.

"Dammit, Charlie." My father's commanding voice was subdued with weariness. Standing there in our too small kitchen, leaning against the counter, Billy looked so tired. And old. I hated to see his mortality so plainly. For an instant, I longed for the younger, fiercely brave man of my early childhood. The man my father was before mom died...

"Guess she and another girl ran off."

"He's not concerned about it at all?" I demanded.

Billy shook his head slowly and sat back in his wheelchair. "He's probably right. She'll call when ... when she's ready."

I hadn't given much thought about that statement since then. Two weeks had passed and there was still no word from Bella, and Charlie seemed completely oblivious of the situation. Anger surged through my body, but it was fast becoming easy to push the sensations back into my throat when phasing threatened. I had actually improved significantly since Bella's disappearance. Charlie's indifferent attitude always seemed to have me on the brink these days.

In the present, I slammed the phone back into the receiver, realizing what Billy had really meant that day. I doubted that the Clary girl had a strong enough bond with Bella to convince her to run away. No, this was something much worse. Bella would only leave, willingly or not, with one creature. A b_loodsucker_.

A shiver ran up my spine. Though I cringed at the thought, I hoped desperately it was one she knew, not the red-haired leach we caught creeping around right before the disappearance.

Why hadn't _we_ seen this? It seemed so obvious.

Running from my house, I stripped the cutoffs from my legs mid-stride. Letting the shivers rush up and down my spine, I darted into the trees. Like an explosion, my mind gave over to the animal inside. In wolf form I no longer felt the guilt and desperation. I saw the world more logically than emotionally. I reran the facts of the situation through my head. Fact one, Bella and her roommate were missing. Two, she had no where to go, if not here or with Renee. And, three, some_thing_ took her. And her new friend? Probably a snack.

_Not again with this_! Paul moaned.

_Butt out_! I snarled back._ It's none of your business._

_None of my business? You're __**making**__ it my business._ He answered angrily. _She's gone, and the leach-lover ain't coming back. Get over it!_

Paul was always on the verge of losing it. Though he had been phasing much longer than I had.

_Paul_! Sam's voice was as melancholy as ever. _Phase out!_

I knew the second he was human, as his mind broke free. Sam and I were alone.

_You think a leach is responsible_? Sam asked.

_Yes._

_It's a good possibility, I guess. But in the end..._ Sam hesitated. _ In the end, why does it matter?_

_Why does it matter_? I thought furiously. _Why does it matter!? She deserves a **life**!_

Sam recalled the day he found Bella, half comatose, lying motionless on the wet forest floor. I wasn't affected by the memories in this form as much as my human body would be when I phased back.

_I think Bella made her choice long before_. It sounded like an apology.

I knew he was right. Of course he was. _But, Bella could be happy with me. We are so...right together. She needs me._

Sam didn't reply, but I could feel his exasperation. He thought I was missing some grand and elusive point. I guess they all did. But in reality, they were the ones who didn't see. My body sighed heavily. I knew what I had to do.

As soon as I had the idea, Sam disagreed. _I'm not sure its a good idea, Jake. Did you stop to think she might not want to be found?_

It was a fleeting thought in my mind as I pushed my human form from within. Despite my instinct to scoff at my own twisted idea, I had to know that Bella was safe. She owed me that much at least. I was totally aware that this was a long shot, but it was all I had.

I threw the door open without hesitating to close it and headed straight for my tiny bedroom. There was only a small two drawer nightstand, so my search would be fairly localized. Sliding the top drawer open, I shifted hurriedly through my accumulated trinkets: school papers, empty gum wrappers, pens, more than a few screwdrivers, matchbooks, rubber bands, unused cologne one of the twins sent me last Christmas, a bunch of twisted wooden sticks (carvings I had never been able to finish.)

Ah ha! Tucked in the far corner, I felt the tiny piece of paper brush my fingertips. My heart beat faster as I unwrapped the corner of loose leaf.

I knew it was what I was searching for, but when I glimpsed my hastily scrawled writing, I raced for the phone. Charlie had given the number to me, when Bella was in the hospital in Phoenix. That time, too, I had to know if she was ok. That had been the first time I ever thought of Bella more than Charlie's kid, the first time she ever made my heart pound in my ears.

There was no hesitation now. I typed the numbers in, and held my breath. Long shot was really an understatement. It would be a miracle if he still had the same number after the way he took off.

The other end connected with a click and began ringing. Now I was beginning to feel nervous. What was I going to say to the _leach_? The one that crushed Bella's soul enough to drive her crazy. I gritted my teeth, hoping after that last thought I wouldn't say anything prevent him from letting me talk to her. I noticed I was chewing on my lip, an unconscious act I had picked up from Bella, and tried to concentrate only on the ringing at the end of the phone. Four rings...five...

"Hello?" It sounded unpleasant.

"Where's Bella?" I hissed immediately.

I heard a shuffling as he rearranged himself on the other end. "Bella? Who is this?"

"I'm a _friend_." I hissed it. "Now where is she?"

"I haven't...spoken with...B..._her_ since we left." The words came out like a lament, like torture.

I hesitated. This wasn't what I'd hoped at all. She wasn't there. She wasn't with _them_. I felt dread for Bella, where ever she might be. I was more convinced than ever that something was wrong. But I had unintentionally created a whole knew problem. By doing this incredibly stupid thing, I had let him know. I felt like reminding him it wasn't his business anymore. He had forfeit those rights when he crushed Bella's soul. Already, the _bloodsucker _was shouting questions at me. Questions I had no intention of answering.

I hung up the phone gently, and turned to leave again. I had really fucked up this time. _Shit_! I cursed to myself, along with a stream of unprintable obscenities. I spun back around and picked up the phone from it's cradle. I let the spiraled cord bounce it back across the laminate. _At least he won't bug Billy_, I thought and flew from the house. The door swung closed behind me.

Knowing none of my brothers could bear another analysis, not even Embry, I ran to the only place where I could somewhat free my mind. The garage...my miniature _Taj Mahal_. My only human sanctuary, only it couldn't even be that any more. It still reeked Bella's amazing floral scent. I tried to hold it back but a groan still managed to escape my lips.

(((((((())))))))

EDWARD:

My hand shook as I heard the other end disconnect. I wasn't sure who had called, but the message was clear. Bella was missing. What was more, whoever who had called, believed she was with me.

I shook my head roughly. It took every ounce of my will power not to crawl back to the corner of my shack and continue to die. If _anything _was important in this world, it was Bella. These months of suffering had been for her, after all.

How I longed to be a purely selfish creature! I could have taken what I wanted from her, and never looked back. But I had never allowed myself that happiness. I saw what it had been like for Rosalie. It was in her head everyday for nearly twenty years. Losing every dream, she was left broken, a shell of her former self. I never wanted to inflict that kind of pain on my Bella. She didn't need to know the pain of losing _life_! And she was far too young to understand everything _life _could offer her. Much more than I could.

For six agonizing months I dwelt on that. I could never endured living eternity believing I had corrupted a soul as beautiful as Bella. _That _had to be worse than ... _this_.

My fingers found their way to the bridge of my nose. Bella.

_Bella!_

The silver phone was in my hand. I could call back the boy, but I had to shake that idea from my mind. He wouldn't answer any questions from me. The werewolf kin had already told me everything he knew, aside from the minor details.

No. There was only one person to call, and it was going to be difficult. Especially since I hadn't answered one of her phone calls in the past half year, though she had called every single night. I knew it was inevitable.

It only rang once, before I heard the familiar voice.

"Well, well, well..."

I wanted to groan, not having used my voice in months. "Look-" I croaked, but she cut me off.

"If you would have answered the phone, none of this would have ever happened." Her voice was full of venom.

I took two deep breaths, to steady my own voice. "Please, Alice. What do you know? Is she alright?"

Alice remained silent for a long moment. "Ok, Edward. I'll tell you, but not because you deserve to know. You had your chance to make this right, and you haven't done anything." A soft sob escaped her throat. I thought her tone had been angry, but I now heard how wrong that assumption was. "I feel like I lost my best friend," she whispered. "_My sister_."

I absently rubbed my fingers through my dusty hair, feeling intensely guilty. "Alice..._please_."

She hesitated again, but I waited.

"I can't find her now. Charlie and Renee put her in a psychiatric ward, where she was until two weeks ago."

"A...a psy..." but I couldn't finish. How could she end up somewhere like that? Realistically I knew the great improvements in treating the insane, but my mind drifted to visions of the asylums of my human life. Dark dungeons. An excuse for torture.

"Yes," Alice was still whispering, but the was an unmistakable tension in her voice. "She disappeared two weeks ago. Since then, I haven't been able to see anything."

"She's not...not..." I couldn't believe I almost said the words I feared above all. But my emotions were all over the place, and I had a hard time articulating anything.

"I don't think so...Before she disappeared, I got flashes of her sometimes. Somewhere I didn't recognize. Not the hospital she checked into."

"What does that mean?" I wondered.

I felt Alice shaking her head. "She's so sad, Edward. She holds her chest. It's usually late. I don't know." She sighed.

I listened more intently to Alice's breathing than I had to anything in months.

When she spoke again, I could tell she chose her words carefully. "I don't think it's her _situation_ that's causing the pain."

I let it sink in the way she intended. My body shook slightly, and I had to remember not to ball my fists and crush the phone.

"Where do I go?" Panic began to sink in.

Alice began to rattle off instructions, and ended the call quickly to get me on a plane to meet she and Jasper in Seatle. I jumped to my feet, and half attempted to shake the dust from my clothes. There was just no room to care. I dashed quickly through the door with enough speed, my tiny abode nearly tumbled over. I looked around.

The desert stretched out in all directions. Sparse shrubbery dotted the endlessly flat horizon. The sky in the west faded into a brilliant red, gold sunset. I headed Southeast toward Mexico City and the plane that would take me to Alice. The flight seemed too short. My mind whirled with thoughts of Bella. Before I realized it, I was stepping into Portland's air terminal.

As soon as I passed the security gates, a tiny vampire threw her thin arms around my waist. I hugged her back fiercely.

Jasper placed a hand on my shoulder, and Alice continued clinging to me, shaking with silent sobs. "It's good to see you, again, brother," he said softly.

I met his eyes, and found myself returning his smile with the first genuine bit of happiness I had felt in months. It was strange, but the normal gestures my siblings offered were the first pinpoints of light I had felt in my life in much too long. I let my arms slide from Alice's tiny waist, and looked into her sparkling topaz eyes.

_We're miserable without you_, Alice thought. _Poor Esme hasn't known what to do with herself. They'll want to see you, too._

But I shook my head at her. Everything else could wait. First, I had to get to my Bella. My true light in this dark existence.

**A/N: Sorry it's taking so long to update. I've been moving. UG! **

**Anyways, thanks for all the great reviews. I know it's just a filler, but it was far past time to bring in Edward! I was missing him too much!**

**Sorry about the waits, but I'll update again as soon as I can.**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: After way too many days of no internet, and a few more trying to catch up on all things Twilight, I am finally catching up on Fan Fiction...Whew! The last month has been crazy hectic but things are slowing down right on time for the best thing to happen to me since the birth of my children...BREAKING DAWN!! I can't wait!!**

**Disclaimer: Stephanie Meyers and Cassandra Clare are true masters. I am but their humble fan...**

Chapter 7

Feeling Lonely

or

Let's Go

The emotional tension was enough to drive me crazy. This time for real. The past few weeks had been crueler in many ways than the humdrum existence at the psych ward. Almost every other night, Jace and his adoptive siblings drug Clary off to hunt crazed demons loose in the city. It had been extremely lonely. Not that I wanted to go along. Clary and Isabella had begged me to go on more than one of their excursions, which I gracefully turned down. A danger magnet like myself did better to stay out of any situation involving blazing swords and underworld hooligans.

Only one time had I let Clary along with her. We went to a run down neighborhood, to the most decrepit building I had ever seen. I marveled at how it was even still standing. The entire surrounding area reeked of decay, but we hung around in the alley for about 10 minutes, trying to peer into the bottom most windows. It had been cold, and rainy and finally we had given up. It wasn't until we were on the way home that Clary finally admitted that had been Simon's vampire hangout. Even though I had felt no impending doom, I certainly wasn't going to be talked out of the Institute again.

The time I spent alone was unhealthy. I spent way too much time thinking, and that didn't do much for my state of mind. I had made numerous attempts to call Jake and let him know I was ok. Each time either no one answered or I got a busy signal for hours on end. I wondered if his being a werewolf kept him out of the house. Jace had explained (rather rudely at my "mundane" question) that werewolves phase into animal form at any time of the month, not just at full moon.

When I didn't think of Jacob's mysterious unavailability, my mind, of course, trailed to the one subject I tried to keep under control. I didn't even want to think his name. After the first time I told Clary my story, I never mentioned him, or any of them. But when I was alone, and there was no outside conversations or hormonal angst, my mind relentlessly drifted to my runaway Romeo. I laid for hours, warm tears streaming down perpetually damp cheeks, clutching at my chest. Over the past few nights, the pain had gotten so bad, I began thinking how really sick I was. I truly needed to be hospitalized. The others seemed to see the decline of my mental state and took to leaving me with Max.

The kid was pretty cool, but never seemed to need to breathe. He talked on and on for hours about everything under the sun. I guess it did make things easier. I didn't have to think too much. It seemed Max's small size and stealth enabled him to get into tight places and overhear the most secret conversations and I found myself truly engaged in some of the tales of shadowhunters' brave and daring deeds. It seemed Jace and Clary came from an incredibly long line of skilled Nephilium, masters of their trade. Further, from what Max overheard, Jace and Clary both exhibited power beyond that of normal shadowhunter capability.

I hadn't wanted to know any one's secrets at all. There were too many I was already trying to keep. I certainly wasn't out patrolling for these bits of gossip that Max insisted I had to know. But tonight I had been trapped.

My nightmare had been worse than ever. Edward was searching for me. He called to me over and over in his velvet voice, and hunted agonizingly in the same forest where I spent the last 6 months dreaming of finding him. The difference was, in this dream, I was the one gone missing and he was absolutely wrecked because of it.

At the end, Edward had fallen to his knees and screamed out to me, burying his face in his hands. I woke up screaming Rationally, I knew it was impossible. Edward didn't want me any more. He had said so. The dream left me feeling worse than any of my previous nightmares had. I felt sick to my stomach, horrified and very guilty.

After I had awoken drenched in a cold sweat, I knew better than to lay back down. Instead, I threw on a pair of Isabelle's jeans I was borrowing, and headed to the library. Taking my time among the shelves upon shelves of books, I finally settled on one written in a strange character style writing, but full of amazing pictures of fantastical beasts. The other was the only one I found in English, though I felt no desire to read it again. The Complete Works of William Shakespeare was no small collection, and nearly every page full of romantic angst. Not exactly the type of literature I wanted to focus on. Of course, every other page was chalked full death and horror, so I might be able to get through all the other junk.

That's when I heard a cell phone ring. Thinking I was alone at this ungodly hour, it surprised me. I shuffled quickly toward the exit, to see who else was there. Clary's voice rang out loud and irritated, and I halted.

"Simon! You've got some nerve-"

_Simon_, I thought. _Wasn't that her vampire boyfriend? _

"I've been locked in the looney bin thanks to you and your mom."

"No, I didn't want to call --"

"Thank god he did show up!"

Clary was silent for a long time, and I held my breath. I found myself wishing I could just fade into the books, and disappear. I had the feeling Clary was going to get more personal than she wanted me to know.

"Fine. You want to know how it is? He's my brother. That's how it is."

Simon must be speaking again, because Clary was very still. I concentrated on keeping my breathing even and silent. After a long pause, she spoke again.

"It's not like I want to feel that way, Simon. One part of me wants to scream, but-" Simon cut her off and Clary was silent for another long moment. I heard as she inhaled very slowly.

"Don't compare me to Maia! You don't know what it's like!" She was shouting, and I could hear the unmistakable sound of tears forcing through her anger.

I felt suddenly very sorry for Clary. Of course, I knew immediately to whom they were referring. And though we had spent hour after hour discussing our lives, she had never made much mention of her brother, aside from in passing. I was vaguely aware that I didn't know much about Jace in general.

Everything I had learned were from personal observations. I did know he was cocky and arrogant, but self-assured in ways only those who _are_ the best can be. His poise and grace shouted at his superior athleticism. I really couldn't bring myself to like him. Not his arrogant sense of humor, nor his perfect tan and golden hair. But what was most unsettling, were his deep, golden eyes. They were too familiar for comfort. If I wanted to be completely honest with myself, that was the whole reason I couldn't bring myself to see any good in him.

Then, there was the way he looked at Clary when he thought no one was looking. Not at all in a way a brother should stare at his sister. Poor Clary never had a chance. I had first hand experience on the dazzling capacity of golden eyes.

My thoughts were yanked away, when I heard Clary crying softly. I had been so wrapped up, I didn't even notice her end the conversation. Now I had to decide what was the best move. Should I comfort her and let her know I overheard something she had been trying to repress for too long? Or should I hide like the coward I was, and pretend like nothing was wrong? If I chose that option, I'd have to leave the Institute. Seeing the complicated emotions involved between Clary and Jace was exhausting for me, and I was only an outsider. I couldn't stay and watch Clary fall deeper, and be ripped apart every day. No, it was bad enough to feel the torture of lost love, but to endure it again an again through the eyes of a friend would be unbearable. But I felt like I need to say something. She needed some one to unload on. I owed her that much.

Hesitating a moment longer, I stepped from behind the shelf. Clary immediately registered the sound, and lifted her head. Her eyes were wide in surprise. I blushed hotly and kept walking toward her, raising a shaking hand to place on her shoulder. Her eyes flashed and I nearly tripped.

Clary was up in an instant, grabbing onto my elbow to steady me.

"Sorry," I apologized.

She looked into my eyes for another moment, then wrapped her arms tightly around my shoulders and hugged me tightly. Slowly, I returned the gesture. I had been sure she was angry, but as her warm tears dampened my shirt, I knew she was relieved. Relieved she finally had someone to tell.

There was an unspoken truth there would be no more secrets between us.

Clary pulled me to the worn leather couches in the center of the library, and sat me down next to her.

"I have to talk to some one, Bella, or I will go crazy." She sighed, then laughed and added, "my comatose mother wasn't very keen to give advice."

I laughed with her. When she had settled enough, I let my curiosity slip. "Jace?" I asked.

Clary nodded slightly, then met my eyes to gage my reaction. I could tell my feelings about Jace were written plainly on my face, but I didn't try to hide it from her.

"I feel that way too, sometimes," she said softly. "But...when we met...before he was my brother, if that makes any sense. Before we knew we were related, anyway..." Clary was struggling to find the words to describe the emotion I could already see. I waited for her to finish. Eventually, she wiped the tears from her eyes, and steadied her breathing.

"I've never been real weepy," she started. "I guess to tell you the whole story, I have to tell you about both of them."

"Both of them?" I wondered aloud.

"Simon _and_ Jace." She took in my look of understanding, and went on. "Simon decided at the exact same time I met Jace to fall for me."

My mouth dropped minutely. That was familiar. Clary had already told me about growing up with Simon and their special bond. He reminded me a lot of Jake; solid and constant.

"I wasn't really angry when Simon left with Maia. More upset that he didn't tell me. I tried so hard to give my heart to him romantically. I tried to be with him, but Jace was always in my peripheral. And he'd touch me...and look at me..It was...electri. And he wanted me as much as I wanted him! I've never felt anything so intense in my whole life, and then...then...he's my brother!"

Clary paused, as if remembering the horrible news. She sighed. "I still felt the same. I can't just turn off the feelings, you know. It was impossible not to kiss him, to love him...Then I talked to Luke. He explained his relationship with my mother. That's when I had a major breakthrough. How different life would have been if Luke had only told Mom he loved her. I think she waited her whole life to hear it. I couldn't make his mistake my own, so I went to tell Jace everything. I was ready to live in absolute sin, if it meant we could be together.

Before I got the chance, he said he was only going to be the brother I had begged him to be. Now, Bella, I have to see him every day and pretend. It's like I went from living the lies my mother fed me, to living the lies I feed myself. It's horrible."

A tremor wiggled down her. I automatically reached out and grabbed her hands in mine. Immediately, her eyes brightened, though the tears remained on the edges. "You are always freezing!"

We laughed together again to help dispel the tension that was thick in the air. I was beginning to feel a nervous blush rise in my cheeks. I related to what Clary had said. Too much so, and I knew I still had secrets to share. It was my turn.

"Well," I started lamely, struggling to figure out how to explain my life without the holes in my chest ripping open. "The first time I met him he wanted to eat me."

Clary giggled, then ashamed at her outburst, mouthing sorry as she motioned for me to continue.

"He was...something. I knew that right away, but I had no idea what for months. He disappeared because for him my blood is more tempting than any other-"

"His _blood singer_?" Clary asked in an astonished voice. I raised an eyebrow. "Raphael spoke about it the night we...the night we buried...buried..._Simon_."

Buried? I wondered to myself. I don't remember any of the Cullen's mentioning that part of it. I almost asked Clary, but decided I'd rather not have any more details about what might have been my future.

I decided to tell her everything that Edward and I had been through. From Tyler's van and Jake telling me what he truly was; to James in Phoenix and the strange silver crescent shaped scar, that was perpetually cold.

At that point, Clary gasped and grabbed my hand, running her fingers tentatively across the raised scar. I knew she would wonder, so I told her about the second time Edward saved me: drinking the poison from my blood, keeping the poison from killing me. I even told her about the stupid prom and my broken leg. The worst was talking about my ill-fated birthday, when Jasper had tried to attack me. I told her everything, no matter how hard it was, finishing with Edward leading me into the woods telling me he didn't want me.

"Oh, Bella," Clary sighed, wrapping her arms around my shoulders. I hadn't noticed I was shaking until she had to struggle to keep us steady.

"I don't even feel like a real person, anymore," I whispered into her hair. "I walk around and act like I'm here, but I'm not. I'm not here or there or anywhere."

I swallowed hard, and tried to push back my tears. I had to tell her. "I need to go back to the hospital," I sputtered out.

Clary gently pushed herself away from me to look at my face. Her intense gaze caused the tears to spill over and flow down my blushing cheeks.

"I think you need an explanation." Clary finally said.

"Explanation?" I was a little unsure what she meant.

"Of course. This vampire owes you something. Look at what he's done to you." Clary seemed angry.

"Oh, no. It's not his fault. It's his nature to be distracted easily." I felt like I was pleading with her, but not sure why.

The voice that answered surprised me.

"Downworlders are scum."

His simple statement almost felt true, but I shook my head vigorously.

"Luke is not scum!" Clary answered before I had the chance to open my mouth. Stupid golden-eyed dazzlers.

She shot him an angry look and turned back to face me. She missed the way his face crumpled as she turned, but I still faced him. In that instant I saw very clearly an emotion in his eyes that I was very familiar with. It was the same look Edward used to look at me with, even when I disappointed him. Jace's eyes seemed to notice I had seen his reaction a second too late. He looked at me as Clary started speaking again, and I couldn't do anything but stare back. He was trying so hard to pretend with Clary. I saw it so plainly now. He was pretending just like she was. It seemed all unnecessary. Sick and disgusting as it was, it couldn't be right that two people who loved each other, should ever be anything but happy together. How can they each force themselves into hell every day, when heaven can be spoken with three little words? He stared a moment longer, flicked his gaze to Clary, and dashed from the room.

"Did you hear me, Bella?" Clary asked, following my look over her shoulder to the place Jace had been only a second before.

I shook my head numbly. The look Jace had given Clary was burning into my mind, but I couldn't figure out why. I only knew it so familiar and so loving, and my chest was heaving at the intesity of it all.

"I said, 'I think you should call this vampire and find out what really happened." Clary was saying.

It took all my effort, but I refocused on her. "No way. He doesn't want me." My voice sounded dead and lifeless despite the amazing emotions I had flowing through my thoughts about Clary and Jace.

"He owes you that much. Mund-- _Humans_ aren't supposed to be introduced to this world, Bella. What he did is actually against the law. _Mine_ and _his_. He put you in danger when he allowed you to fall that deep, and now he owes you an explanation. You deserve that much at least. And after that, if you still want to go back to the asylum, I won't stop you. I think you just need some closure, so you can really get better."

I shuddered. I knew she was right in a sense, but not that Edward owed me anything. He had given me everything in the few months we had, and that was what was important. On the other hand, he had to have known what would happen, not even taking into account Alice's talent. How could he do that to me? Unless... I had gotten it all wrong.

But that was impossible.

Clary handed me her phone, stood up and started toward the door. "Bella, call him."

Quietly, she slipped out small smile. She was very perceptive, but had it wrong. I couldn't call the one she wanted me to. I loved him, but he didn't want to love me, and I wasn't about to beg. What was the point in that? Hearing his voice using the same cold tone as when he left, would probably kill me.

The holes in my chest ached around the edges. There was only one person who could ease the pain building in my chest. I quickly dialed from memory, and listened as the phone rang. Maybe this time I'd get lucky.

Three rings...

Four rings...

Fiv--

"Hello?"

"Jake!" I shouted.

"Oh, Bella! Oh my god, Bells! Where are you?" His voice started relieved, but ended tense, and unsteady.

"Honestly, I'm not really sure. They call it the Institute." I answered him.

"What do you mean you don't know? Another psych ward?"

I laughed humorlessly. "Worse. But, I'm not a prisoner or anything. I just can't come back to Forks right now. Charlie would have a coronary."

"I'm coming to you, then," he said decisively. I couldn't remember Jake ever sounding so serious.

I couldn't say no, though I dreaded the thought of what Jace would say if he found out my werewolf was coming to spring me. Right now, I needed Jacob more than anything. I could feel I was on the brink of a complete meltdown; much worse than my near comatose state in the immediate aftermath of the departure of my soul.

Quickly, I rattled off instructions to get Jake to the bus stop around the corner. It was the only familiar landmark in this entire city, besides the hospital, and I wasn't going within three miles of that place ever again. Jacob hastily vowed to mapquest the cross streets before leaving La Push, and would meet me promptly at ten.

After hanging up, I glanced at my watch. It was nearly three in the morning which meant too much downtime before he'd be here. I inwardly moaned. After my dream, sleep wasn't an option. Just then, Clary came running back into the library, her face bright.

"There's some one here I think you'll want to meet!"

Two very pale and undoubtedly dead people stood just outside the threshold of the Institute's front door. I gasped as I took in their marble complexion and perfect features. I noticed crimson eyes, but felt no danger with Clary and Jace between myself and the vampires.

The taller one had dark hair and a nicely toned body peeking out from beneath a band shirt, and jeans. His hands were thrust deep in his pockets, shoulders slumped forward. Even his head hung a little, giving him the impression of having been caught doing something naughty by his parents. I noticed his eyes flashing to Clary and I as we walked up the length of the church, passing row after row of unused pews.

The smaller vampire was much smaller, but had a sweet accented voice. It was soft and soothing in a way only a vampire could manage, but it was laced with tension. He was speaking to Jace in a hushed tone, but stopped to look up, just as the other one had.

"Si," he said after a moment. "She must be the one."

I wondered who he meant, but stayed in my silent awestruck stupor.

"Clary?" The other one asked. "Uh, can we walk for a sec? I need to talk to you...to apologize."

My eyes widened. So, this was Simon. Not at all what I pictured. I had him pegged for a nerdy computer kid, but Simon was sort of good looking. Of course, my opinion was biased, but he definitely was attractive. Even with the look of guilt etched into every surface, as he was now.

"You bet you do," Clary hissed and stalked out the door, not pausing for Simon to follow.

Once they had moved out into the street light's orange glow, I looked back to the small vampire.

"This is Raphael, Bella," Jace said lightly. "A downworlder just like your friend."

"Nice to meet you," I said softly.

"Encantada, Bella," Raphael's smooth voice replied. "I would shake your hand, but I cannot enter hallowed ground."

He gestured at the Institute, which I knew to be _glamored_ to look like the dilapidated church on which it was actually built.

I looked at Jace, who was smiling in a bemused way, like I had just said the funniest thing ever. "Would you like to go on a walk and talk with your friend here?" he asked me still smiling.

I didn't know what I should say. Yes, I longed to feel the very presence of something I thought I had been doomed to forget. But, no, I didn't want to be eaten.

"Ok," Jace answered for me. "_Let's go_."

**A/N: Thanks for every one who follows my stories, but please review! It's what gets me excited about writing more. Chapter 8 is almost done, but your words fuel my fire...  
**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: I have officially changed the name of this sory after I discovered there was another Twilight fan fic with the same title. Hopefully, that's not confusing for anyone. **

**I also added a chapter to the beginning of the last chapter so I could make sense of this one. It was only posted in it's original form for about an hour. So if you want to go back, it's the second paragraph. If you don't care, read on!**

**BTW, this is dedicated to BecBlue who reviewed so long ago that I need to clarify the differences between the vampires in each story. I hope you like my idea!**

**Disclaimer: Nothing's mine.**

**Chapter 8**

**Others**

**or**

**The Missing Link**

The stench of death and blood hovered in the air around the old building. Most of the windows to the top of the fifth floor had been boarded over, but where they weren't, the blackness inside was chilly even to me.

_Are you sure this is a good idea?_ Jasper wondered anxiously.

Hell, I didn't care if it was a good idea. I was only interested in one thing: finding Bella. No matter what it took, I would do it.

I nodded once to Jasper who held fast to Alice's hand. She saw the outcome, and I knew it would be relatively painless, for us at least. These vampires weren't like us. They would be no match.

I sprinted up two stories to the nearest open window and ducked inside the gloom. Of course I could see easily, but it was absolute darkness inside. Jasper ducked in followed closely by Alice and we stared into the blackness.

_It seems so..._ Alice's mind had a hard time putting words to this place, but what she couldn't figure out, Jasper had a grasp on the instant he was inside.

_Dead._

These were a species an entire world apart from most of the vampires we would ever run into. We shared many of the same qualities with them, but we were not alike in all ways. The differences in our changing was the most significant. They were buried, and laid dead six feet under until they awake and claw their way to the surface. While relatively painless compared to our change, it must have been difficult to look down on your own grave after you had personally exhumed yourself. I imagined there could be no more lonely a feeling than that. On the other hand, we burn from the inside out, and feel every surge of poison as death takes us.

Also, these creatures had been able to shape shift into small rodents and bats since the dawning of time, where we developed unique abilities which seemed to depend primarily on strengths we had while human. They burned to ashes in the sunlight, and we sparkled. They had always seemed a darker side of my own nature, but I wasn't sure how accurate that truly was. I had my own struggles with the blood lust, and had seen my entire family battle with it in their own way, so the very core of our instincts were not much different.

Carlisle had explained the reason to me, but I hadn't ever accepted it as plausible. I could remember the conversation clearly. Carlisle sat on the opposite end of his desk from me as his soft voice and tranquil thoughts flowed from him casually.

"Descendants of angels inhabit this world, Son. Though humans are likely to run into them nearly every day of their lives, the sons of angels go largely unnoticed. By humans, that is. These Nephilium walk the earth with the sole mission to rid the world of all nonhuman entities. Naturally, battling against the likes of said creatures has its drawbacks. They mark their bodies in the angel's own alphabet to protect themselves, but are not always fully prepared.

For instance, a Nephilium charged in completely prepared to hunt a pack of werewolves, but the wolves were engaged in a battle with vampires. Unprotected from the latter monsters, the Nephilium was bitten. The venom poisoned the man just as it always would.

It's the blood itself makes the real differences. The angel part clings inside a newborn's venom, therefore giving it the ability to pass on the mutation."

"So you were bitten by one of these vampires?" I had asked.

Carlisle shook his head. "No. It's more likely that the coven that got me were offspring of one. Maybe even a few generations back and maybe only one of them was. It's hard to tell for sure, but I'm fairly confident it wasn't actual angel spawn who changed me."

I hadn't really set much truth to this theory. I thought it more likely it had less to do with angels and demons and more to do with evolution. My eyes roved the room quickly, assessing we were alone. To maintain as much cover as possible, I motioned to the other two with a silent jerk of my head toward the door.

Without even disturbing the dust beneath our feet, we walked stealthily toward the exit. I reached to grab the handle of the decaying wooden door but hesitated, looking toward Jasper.

I can't feel anything, he thought.

That was something I somewhat expected. These creatures were dead in every sense of the word. Alice sighed audibly, her unease spilling over into both of us. There was nothing I could do. My Bella was missing.

I yanked upward on the ancient iron handle and the door swung outward with a squeal. There was even more darkness behind it. But this was not empty space as the room had been. My own sensitive hearing was just able to register a soft papery sound, similar to the rustle of leaves, or of bat wings.

"Oh, lord, it's true," Jasper mumbled aloud.

As if in answer, a shriek pierced through the black wall and two dozen or more shaped suddenly loomed in the darkness.

A high pitched female voice shouted, "What do you want here? Your kind are not welcome."

"Come now, Sarah. Is that any way to treat our guests?" This voice was deeper, but not by much. It seemed to be young, but convey a definite authoritative tone to it. A torch was lit somewhere behind the mass of bodies, and brought them all into sharp focus. Their pale faces and flickering black eyes penetrating Alice, Jasper and I as we stood in the open doorway. More than one smirked madly, anticipating the upcoming fight. The numbers were definitely in their favor, at least eight to one, but that didn't factor in our gifts.

I put a hollow smile on my face, and walked toward the chastiser. He was a small vampire, and was very young when he changed, perhaps only eight or nine. He had glossy black hair, which looked ridiculously like the old Hollywood Dracula, widow's peak, pale skin, and blood red lips, only this was still a child.

"I am looking for some one." I said placidly.

"She has brown hair, brown eyes..." Alice began.

"A human, then?" The boy asked through his thick Spanish accent, his curiosity piqued.

"Is it lunch time?" One of the females cackled.

A low growl vibrated through my chest, but Jasper placed a steady hand on my shoulder and my aggression abated some.

"No disrespect is intended. We just need to find our friend and were hoping you might know something."Jasper said softly.

"We don't receive many guests." The small vampire chuckled. "Certainly not many humans."

Many of the other vampires laughed aloud. I smiled with no amusement, only to bare my teeth at them. "Her scent is here. Not recently, but I know it was her." I snarled. Despite Jasper's best attempts, my anger was boiling.

There was a laughter among the coven. "You can't expect us to remember every human that comes through here." The dark boy chuckled.

"Listen, boy--" I started furiously, but Alice interrupted.

"She's the type that sticks with you. You'd remember her." She said in earnest.

The young vampire seemed to deliberate for a moment. "You say you recognize her scent? Inside as well? If that's the case, I'm sorry. She will be gone."

Fury was battling it's way out, but I inhaled deeply, searching the stagnant air for some sign that Bella had been inside the building. Her scent had been all over the southern side, in the alley, but that didn't mean she came in. There was a flicker of hope that she had merely walked by...and stopped to gaze through the filthy windows...in a dark and desolate alley...

Beside me, I heard as Jasper and Alice also tested the air for signs that my love had been here. Shaking my head slowly, I inhaled again. There was nothing there. She hadn't been in after all. I felt it as the three of us relaxed considerably.

"I take it you've found your answer, then?" The boy asked with the curious eyes of a child. Then he stepped forward, arm outstretched in a very adult fashion. "My name is Raphael," he said as I slowly reached out to greet him properly. His small hand was lost in my grasp, but I felt the firm pressure of his grip.

A low hissed erupted from behind Raphael. The others were not happy about his open acceptance. The assault of images from their minds was suddenly overwhelming. All were imagining vicious and heinous ways of tearing us apart where we stood. To my right, Jasper took a hesitant step backwards, undoubtedly feeling their hatred spilling towards us.

Raphael held up a hand with out looking away from me and gave a dismissive wave of his hand. "Don't worry about them. They do as they are told, and that is it. They all want to cling to the past, but I keep trying to tell them it is a new century. Our brand of nightmare isn't terrifying to the masses anymore. _ I_ was more scared of the gangs at the end of the block than the vampires in this building. They just don't understand. Changing times demand change from us as well. We just can't go around killing everything that crosses our path. It pays to have allies. There is much to fear aside from the supernatural."

"We don't want any one to fear us," Alice said in an uncharacteristically soft voice. "We're just looking for Bella."

The coven shifted restlessly. More than one was now considering taking Raphael out to get at us. As much as I was eager to release a bit of my pent up aggression, I was adverse as Jasper was to allow Alice to fight.

Quickly deciding to for go the carnage, I held a hand out to Raphael again and spoke directly to him. "We mean no harm to your coven or any one else. Thank you for your help."

I felt Jasper and Alice began to back slowly toward the room we entered from, when I heard a voice echoing from the alley outside.

"Where have you been?" It demanded.

There was no answer, but after a pause he spoke again. "My mom? What does she have to do with anything? Wait a minute...loony bin? Where _have_ you been, Clary? You should have called."

_Loony bin?_ Alice and Jasper thought at the same time. Who ever that was might be the way to find Bella.

Tentatively, my siblings and I stepped into the gloom behind us to the open window, and the vampire in the alley. I saw shadows shifting from the corner of my eyes. They were on the brink now. We had to move if we were going to get out of here with out fighting.

Alice's mind mirrored the attackers decision, and both thoughts bombarded me at the same time. But I still had enough sense to duck as the gangly vampire jumped at me from the left. His long fingers clutched at my back, anticipating my neck, but clutched at nothing more than air.

Alice had danced over and grabbed the aggressor's greasy black hair, yanking him against gravity. He cursed loudly, grasping for her hands. Jasper was at Alice's side in an instant, swooping down to stare at the irate vampire kicking uselessly in his wife's grip.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," he hissed, baring his teeth.

The other vampire looked petrified and seemed to pale even more. His eyes, black and thirsty were wide as he looked back at Jasper's own midnight eyes. The difference was Jasper's swirled with the intensity of anger. He was not acting on instincts like the adversary.

Outside the voice was speaking again. "Well, I'm sure Jace saved the day again." It said sarcastically.

Another coven member, rushed into the room, eyes looked onto Jasper. Her long ginger hair trailed behind her like furious flames. "Jasper!" Alice shouted.

He turned around, and sprang to his feet. The female struck him at full speed, a loud crash resounding sharply in the enclosed room. The force sent Jasper into Alice and the first attacker, and they all fell into a tangled heap on the ground.

There was nothing I could have done, so I turned my attention toward to the four other vampires slowly slinking forward. All sets of black eyes were trained on me. I tried to pick any random coherent thought from their minds as they crept slowly forward.

"I can see what it's like." The voice outside mumbled softly. "Do you know how completely morbid and sick this little fantasy is, Clary? It's completely unhealthy. You're wasting you life thinking about some one you should never, ever want. And I can't believe I have to tell you that..._again_. What is in your head? What are you thinking? That's why I left with Maia. She can--"

One of the stalking vampire spoke, cutting off the conversation from outside. "Your other pet Simon has less sense than these three, and we don't like it, these half-breeds running around like they rule the place. We say it's enough."

"Shut up, Nando," Raphael hissed. "I am you leader, and you will listen to me. These three did not enter to maim or harm us or steal our secrets. I say let them be on their way. I do not think many of you would survive a fight against this little coven."

There were a few chuckles from the others, but now they sounded wary.

Jasper and Alice had disentangled themselves from their attackers, who had slunk off into the shadows. Jasper inclined his head to Raphael and Alice hastily muttered a word of thanks. They turned their backs and jumped quickly from the window.

"Thank you," I said earnestly, before following them through.

I landed lightly on the grimy surface the alleyway next to Alice. We walked toward the street, but eyes roving everything, trying to catch a glimpse of the anonymous vampire, whose phone conversation below the window a minute ago left me no doubt he was critical in finding Bella. There was no sign of his presence at all, not even a distinct scent among the foul odor emanating from the building.

Once we stepped into the light of the street, I sighed. "I thought for sure we would find something here. Her scent was everywhere out there."

Alice was the one to answer me, and her tone was bright. "You should be glad they didn't know anything. You heard what Raphael said. If she gone inside, there'd be no chance."

And that was something to be thankful for, despite my wary feeling in regards to why Bella had been in that particular alley. It was too much to dismiss as coincidence, then there was the mysterious man in the alley discussing a 'loony bin' which also seemed too much coincidence. It had to be connected and the link to it all was that voice.

"What now?" Jasper asked, breaking my thoughts.

I shrugged and took a long look down each direction of the street. Both ways were lined in abandoned buildings, eventually slated for demolition. "I guess we need to find some place far enough away they can't smell us, but close enough to keep watch for anything. One of them knows what we need, even if he doesn't know it himself."

Jasper nodded their agreements, and Alice looked at me with wide eyes, the reluctance to take up residence in anything in this area plain on her face. I reached up to put my hand on her shoulder.

"I know you were right before, about not leaving her. You don't have to stay, but I'll be indebted to you if you will. I need you and Bella will need you."

Her face brightened instantly. "Indebted to me, huh? I like it."

She reached to grasp Jasper's waiting hand, and they ran down the dim road. I spared another glance behind me, and swore I saw the shredded remains of a curtain sway behind a closed window. I ran off after Alice and Jasper.

They, of course, were standing just outside a building two full blocks away from the vampire lair. "This is it," Alice sighed. "From the top we'll have a perfect view of the main exits of their hideout."

Jasper squeezed her hand and I saw her turn her head as I walked toward them. I could feel him trying to comfort her.

"After we find Bella, I'll take us all to the nicest hotel you can think of." I said chuckling.

Finally, I saw the familiar spark in her eye. "Turtle Island?" She asked quickly.

I laughed as her mind became very graphic. Jasper just looked confused. "Turtles?"

Alice began laughing aloud too. "It's not the local fauna I hope to devour," she said, then reached up, kissed his lips and ran in to the gray building before us.

"Well, you can't argue with that," I said.

Jasper turned a bemused expression to me and shrugged. "You can't ever argue with _Alice_."

Just then, Alice's voice shrieked from inside our new residence. "I can see her!"

Jasper and I looked at each other again, then followed her fading echo into our temporary abode.

**A/N: Please review!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: Not a single character in Twilight or The Mortal Instruments belongs to me...**

**Chapter 9**

**Not Really Alone**

**or **

**Dreaming**

Jace led our path toward the river's edge. Lights gleamed a dull orange on the rippling surface, as we walked. My heart pounded against my chest. It felt strange to be so near a vampire. After the months of insanity following Edward's departure, I had wished more than anything to see another creature as amazing as my beloved.

Raphael, on the other hand, was the very reason the word vampire caused most humans to shudder. The essence radiating was more than cold; it was terrifying. I silently thanked the heaven that Jace stood between us. The anxious beats of my heart would have been hard for any vampire to resist.

"So, you are Bella." His soft voice sliced musically through the night.

I noticed he wasn't asking, and kept gnawing my bottom lip nervously. I chanced a sideways look toward the boy, but stopped at Jace's blazing eyes. As soon as he caught me looking, he grinned a crooked smile, not unlike one Edward used to smile, but nowhere near as beautiful. He winked.

"So you're a vampire," I muttered back glumly.

"My apologies," he quickly remarked. "I just meant there has been much talk about you."

I stared at him for a moment. "What do you mean 'talk'?" I asked.

'Every one is looking for you. Vampires, werewolves...and now even demons."

Now I was truly perplexed. _Demons? What does any of this have to do with me?_

Without waiting for me to speak me nervous thoughts, Jace turned to me.

"It appears Raphael's lair was penetrated by a strange trio tonight. They left quite the impression." He said lightly.

"Not only us! The downtown and L Street packs were hit after sundown. It's hard to understand." Raphael seemed to be arguing with Jace.

"What does it matter?" Jace asked him. "She is safe with me."

I stopped walking to stare at him full in the face. "What do you mean?" I demanded.

The angry tone caught him off guard for an instant, but he quickly regained his cocky composure. "Who cares? Just more downworlder filth."

I tried to make a comeback, but too much time had passed before I thought of one, and I continued the incessant chewing of my bottom lip. My eyes fell on Raphael's alabaster face. He looked nervous now. It was an emotion I fixed on and let seep into my own psyche. Sweat began to bead at my neck line.

Jace was rambling on, but I ducked my head around Jace's chest and looked long at Raphael. "Who?" I asked him.

"No se, Bella. My coven wasn't very hospitable, and they didn't say long enough for introductions. They are...a menacing presence. Only four of mine dared to engage them, and they were easily subdued. Infact, the only thing that saved those wretched lives was Simon. The others jumped from the building and chased him."

Raphael paused and took a long look at Jace. "He was able to out run them with such speed I thought it impossible. The others were impossibly fast as well, but they were lost on unfamiliar streets. They are now encamped in a building down the road, awaiting Simon's return.

"It's funny," he mused. "I know none of my coven would have been able to out run any of these three intruders, but Simon...Simon is something special." Black eyes remained fixed on Jace, who seemed determined not to take notice.

I got the feeling that Raphael thought Jace had something to do with Simon's ability. But there was no time to dwell on that. Who was looking for me, and what did they want? I couldn't imagine any one wanting me from that other world I had been ousted from. It didn't make sense, and I felt like I was missing some incredibly important detail. The last puzzle piece was missing, and neither of these unlikely companions seemed to realize that.

My face must have betrayed my anxiety, because, I realized both Raphael and Jace were staring at me. Jace's eyes burned into mine with that familiar depth. I couldn't help but stare back.

"Don't worry, Bella. I won't let any one get to you." Then he smiled again, and began walking forward.

Somewhat shocked I stared as he moved down the beach, leaving 20 feet or so of space between him and Raphael and myself.

"I suggest you take the young Nephilium on his offer. These three are too eager to be up to any good. My advice, Bella, is stick close to that one." He gestured to the shadow that was Jace. He was gazing into the river unaware of the hushed whispered warnings Raphael spoke. He sighed softly and bent into a minute bow. "It was a pleasure."

In an instant he was gone, streaking toward the streets behind us. I stared after him for awhile, trying to make sense of his warning. There was no one who would come for me, was there? If it had been, by some miracle, one of the Cullens, there would have been no way for their inquiries to come across as threatening. I sighed, then felt a warm hand rest on my shoulder. I knew who it was, but didn't feel like seeing the golden depths of his eyes ever again. I suddenly felt like I wouldn't be able to get away fast enough.

In silence, Jace led me back to the Institute. The sky was growing more pink and bright on the horizon. Everything looked hazy until I realized my vision was clouded with tears. Rubbing the back of my hand across them, I chanced a look at Jace again. He was studiously watching my momentary breakdown. When he realized I was looking at him again, Jace finally blinked.

"It's like I tell Clary, the world is better without downworlders." That infuriating smile was on his lips again, but his tone was less mocking than sympathetic. I realized that even though I would entrust my life in his hands, he was a complete stranger.

I began wishing it was time to meet Jacob. My life meant nothing for myself, but there were others who loved me enough that I should try and stay breathing. Honestly, I had no desire to be in any more pain than I already was.

At the Institute, I avoided Clary's eyes outside and ducked quickly inside, stumbling a bit over the step. Simon was still with her, and I'm sure it seemed more than rude, but I wanted to get my things and go. The bus stop was just around the corner. There was a small shelter there. I could sit for a few hours, couldn't I? It seemed a much better alternative to spending any more time anywhere near this place.

I was almost to the golden lift at the end of the long rows of pews when I noticed I wasn't alone. Jace was keeping pace silently a few paces behind.

Great. A shadow, I thought bitterly. My eyes narrowed. This wasn't happening.

We rode upstairs in silence. I tried not to look at his looming reflection in the polished golden surface of the elevator walls. He felt menacing, but I knew that was because I wanted to get away from here so badly. The sudden urge to bolt was nearly blinding. It was completely irrational, as I would be far safer here, protected by an entire family of gifted shadowhunters, than in some exposed plastic shadow box. My mind had already felt on the brink today, and I think this was nearing the breaking point. If I didn't get out of here, I would likely snap for real.

I walked to my room mechanically and turned to shut the door as I entered. Jace stuck out his foot casually and leaned his elbow on the backside of it. I continued to push half-heartedly against it.

"Look, Bella," Jace said, his gaze fixed intently on mine. "I don't know what you think of me, and honestly, I don't really care. Don't take it personally!" He interjected at the look I stabbed in his direction. "I just meant this is my job, Bella. It's what I do. Well, all of us. Alec, Isabelle, their parents, even Clary is improving...You'll be safe here."

"Sure, sure," I said automatically pushing against the door a little harder.

"Why do I get the idea that you're on you're way out?" He asked bluntly.

I stared at him, doing my best to look threatening, and most likely failing miserably. When I saw intimidation wasn't going to budge him, I conceded.

"I am" I finally said in a sigh.

Suddenly his hand was on mine against the wood of the door. Shocked, I stared at it for a long moment, both furious and delighted in the soft warm shield it provided.

"Look," he said, a soft sincerity in his tone. "I want to help you Bella. Whether you want to be friends or not."

I was shaking my head. "I don't want any more friends." I knew there was no use trying to tell him that the thing I needed was a so-called '_downworlder._" One which was forbidden to me. And because that was the one thing I could never have, I wanted the next best thing. My sun. My Jacob. And, if I had to sit for three hours in a box waiting for him I would. I was more than aware that it wasn't even getting away from Jace or the Institute that had my back up against the wall. It was I feeling so far away from the people and places I loved. I needed Jacob because I _needed_ that anchor on my reality. That Forks truly existed. That _he_ truly existed.

"You don't have to be my friend, Bella," he said quietly. "But it wouldn't hurt if you tried it out. If for no other reason than for Clary. You can't just duck out on her."

I sighed, because he was right. I couldn't just leave her with out saying anything. But hadn't I already mentioned to her that I was going to go back to the hospital? This was only a slight variation that didn't involve any certified anythings.

"She knows I need to go. It's ok. My friends can take care of me."

Jace snorted. "Not like I can." Absentmindedly he touched one of the three swords that hung at his hip. "At least stay until we can be sure you'll be safe." It sounded like he was pleading. It wasn't something he seemed to be very familiar with.

"Not necessary," I persisted. "He'll be here in a couple of hours."

Suddenly, Jace had both of my hands in his and pressed against his chest. I could feel his heart pounding beneath them. "I owe you those couple hours," he said deeply. His eyes swirled wildly. "I owe you everything."

I raised an eyebrow to signify my confusion.

"If I hadn't found you, I never would have found Clary. Who knows how long she would have been stuck there? She has one fierce temper. It wouldn't be hard to find a reason to keep her."

I knew how serious he meant it, but I couldn't help it, and burst out laughing. He grinned while I let my tension out in my mini hysterics.

When I had finally calmed down I decided he needed to answer a question of mine before I committed to anything. "About Clary..." I started unsure exactly the best way to proceed. "Why don't you just tell her how you feel about her, already?" I blurted out before I could reel the thought back in.

Jace looked at me with wide eyes, shaking his head in a slow, dazed sort of way. "I—I don't know what you--" he started.

"You know _exactly_ what I'm talking about," I whispered back. "You don't love her in any _brotherly _kind of way."

He was speechless again, and I let the silence hang like a noose.

"She...she's my _sister_, Bella." The word sounded dirty.

I nodded my agreement. "And as sick and twisted as I feel for saying it, I think you need to tell her--"

This time he cut me off. "I've told her how I felt, and she said she wanted none of it. Only a _brother_." Again with making ordinary words sound like cussing. His face was pulled into a sad grimace. It felt very out of place to see such an emotion straining the features of Jace's sun-kissed skin.

"I don't think she really feels that way, Jace. I think you should talk again."

The grimace slid away. Jace dropped my hands, and reached to cradle my face lightly between them. A warm finger gently brushed my lips. He stared deep into my eyes, searching for answers to hundreds of unspoken questions that burned through his. I knew he saw what he was looking for. How I knew Clary truly wanted him in the same way he wanted her. The golden flecks in his eyes blazed brilliantly and he smiled again, more relaxed than his earlier attempts. It was almost possible to see him lifted from the earth just enough to let his toes drag as he moved. He was definitely lighter.

I sighed again. I was happy, excited even, that my new friend could find a love that defies all natural laws. It was beautiful, when you got over the whole sibling thing. If they had grown up as brother and sister, I might have had a different outlook on it, but as it was, they were merely two strangers. Two strangers who met, fell in love and can be happy. Maybe even _meant to be_...

"Bella, it's official," Jace suddenly teased his huge grin widening. "You have to stay. I won't take no for an answer. I want to keep you around for awhile. You're too useful."

I rolled my eyes dramatically, trying not to smile and break the facade. Jace was very charismatic. I had to give him that.

"Please." All sincerity returned to his voice. "At least stay until your friend gets here. You can sleep an hour or so," he quickly suggested. "Tell me what time you need to be up, and I'll make sure you are."

After a short internal debate, I decided to let him think I would stay, but sneak off as soon as he runs to profess his love to Clary. I nodded and yawned, as if to emphasize how little sleep I got last night. "Good idea," I agreed.

Jace nodded back. "What time, then?"

"9:30," I answered, then shut my door as soon as Jace's foot crossed the thresh hold.

I had only intended to lay down for a few minutes to give him time to vacate the area. But, the next thing I knew, I was engulfed in a dizzying dream.

I stood with my back pressed against a brick wall or it might have been any number of the old buildings in this area of the city. Twenty feet in front of me I could see Clary and Jace. They both stood as if protecting me, though Jace was standing slightly in front of Clary, shielding her as well. I couldn't see who or what was coming, but I felt the sweat trickle slowly down my neck. As was usual with dreams, everything took on the quality of being shown in slow motion.

Jace said something I couldn't make out and the sword he held began to glow with a soft but brilliant light. Clary hastily drew faint glowing and curving lines all over the arm he pressed into her chest. I marveled for awhile at how the sunlight glinted off the soft silver tool she held in her hand. The marks it left on his golden skin seemed to burn to ash, but he didn't look in any sort of discomfort. Long blond locks blew into golden ones, and together their hair shone and undulated as if it were connected. Clary was murmuring softly into his ear as she worked.

Again, I wondered what they were trying to keep from me. At that moment, too fast for me to see clearly through hazy dream eyes, something flew at Jace. He gracefully dodged to the left, pulling Clary with his right arm, and slashing with the glowing sword held in his left and moving a step toward me in one fluid movement. He seemed to have missed his target, but was close enough that a loud hiss erupted in the open area.

Suddenly, a rainbow of sparkles hit me in the face. They bounced off everything. A million diamonds in the sky. Now I knew exactly what we were dealing with: _vampire_. And, I instinctively knew he wanted me.

A howl erupted from somewhere nearby, and it's echo bounced everywhere. It was a familiar sound but also wild in its animalistic fervor. It left an acrid taste burning in my mouth. More howling answered. I shivered trying to press myself into the wall at my back.

The violent dance before me gained in intensity. Jace moved in smooth, fluid motions, swinging to meet each nearly invisible attack. Clary had replaced the small silver object she had been drawing with, for a long glowing sword of her own. She held it fearlessly over Jace's protective shoulder, but seemed very much at ease in the midst of the entanglement. Her own movements mimicked Jace's and together they moved like two parts of a whole, two parts of a machine with one goal: to destroy the monster.

Suddenly, the crash of metal against metal, tearing and screeching, erupted in the air. The howling stopped instantly. Jace's sword had found it's mark. It was now lodged in the chest of the attacker. That's when his face finally slowed enough for me to see it clearly.

"Bella," he mouthed, his velvet voice filling the impossible expanse between us, so I could hear every influx of his grief and anger.

His eyes were pinched shut, but it didn't hide the look of pain that flitted across the planes of his perfect countenance. Tears slid in floods from my eyes, but I couldn't look away. _The hunter had been beaten._ Clary was raising her sword above her to finish the job. As it raised to the highest point, the vampire's eyes opened and he stared directly at me. His stare made my insides burn and twist tortuously.

Laying on his side, he raised a hand in my direction, face twisted and contorting. Slowly he opened his eyes and gazed at me. That's when I started screaming. They were a bright crimson, burning with a hunger for only one thing: _me_.

I was still screaming into my pillow when I felt a strong hand on my back. It rubbed slow circles over it's entire length until I had hold of myself enough to quiet the screaming sobs.

Jace's voice carried no sense of urgency as it had in my dreams. Now, it was soft and caring, and spoke the words I needed to hear above all others. "Bella? It's time to go. Your friend will be here."

**A/N: Ok, so there you go...Silly Bella and her crazy dreams! The dream was fun to write, though I'm not sure I got it out exactly the way I wanted. Please leave reviews and let me know what you think!**


	10. Chapter 10

**First of all, if anyone still wants to read this, I'd love to hear from you. I've been sitting on this for months, and I don't even know why...I think because it's been so long....but the next chapter is nearly done as well.  
**

**Second of all, if there are inaccuracies, I plead forgiveness, and pin it on being AU. In reality, the Mortal Instruments is a bit hazy in my memory. I read them almost a year ago, and I borrowed those copies. So, not owning anything I can read repeatedly, like Twilight, some of the details get lost. Doesn't mean I don't love them, and I'm planning on getting my hands on them again before City of Glass comes out! Hopefully it will make for quicker updates!**

**Disclaimer: The Twilight Series and The Mortal Instruments Series belong to their respective authors. **

**Chapter 10**

**Should I Stay**

**or**

**Should I Go**

A large travel bus groaned around the corner. High pitched squealing rang through the air as the gigantic gray monstrosity of modern travel slowed next to the official stopping point. As soon as it came around the corner, I spotted Jacob's face pressed against the glass. At first I assumed he was sleeping, but as the bus screeched finally to a stop, I saw Jacob's black eyes wide, eying the entire scene.

I wondered idly as Jace and I waited for Jacob to exit, whether it was being in a strange city, that had him on edge; perhaps, he saw the tall golden figure next to me, and recognized the same ghosts I saw there.

The tall, lanky figure of my best friend stepped cautiously from the last step. The thick glossy curtain of black hair swirled into his face, as the wind ripped down the street. My heart lifted immediately, and I let the smile spread across my lips. Jacob let his gaze fall on me, and returned my gesture, with a forced grin of his own. His eyes remained guarded as he approached me.

"Hey, Bells," he said softly.

My smile grew, and I took two excited steps forward, and flung myself at the familiar chest of my best friend. Thick, sinuous arms encircled my waist, and I felt his face press lightly into the hair at my neck. He held me tight as I let the moisture fall from my eyes on to his black shirt.

"Thank you for coming." I whispered quietly into his ear. "You have no idea how much I needed you."

Jacob released his hold on me, and took half a step backward to eye me critically. His features seemed to brighten before me. "Oh," he said chuckling, "I think I might have some idea..."

I wanted to laugh along with him. Now that my sun was back, I could feel the clouds dissipating. I felt entirely lighter, thanks solely to Jacob and the charisma emanating from him like electricity through a light bulb. Then, I caught Jace staring open-mouthed over Jake's shoulder.

His mouth was gaping, and for once, he seemed at a loss for words. He examined Jacob hesitantly. Maybe he hadn't been expecting some one quite so...huge. That was the best word to describe the boy I had grown so close to during those long broken months. Not that he had even compared then to what stood before me now.

"Um, so Jacob, this is Jace," I finally said, pulling away, and stepping toward Jace. I hoped at the very least, he'd be polite, but he did little to disguise the look of disgust on his face.

Jacob reached a hand forward, but his eyes were narrowed at the blond man opposite him. "Downworlder," Jace finally acknowledged, reaching forward and giving Jacob's hand a quick pump.

We were all silent for an awkward moment, as the boys eyed each other. Finally, Jace ripped his eyes away from Jake and turned them toward me. An intensity burned there. "You'll be safest at the Institute," he warned.

It was Jacob who answered, as I glared at Jace. "We're perfectly capable of protecting Bella. Better than you."

Jace laughed aloud. "Do you have any idea what I am, downworlder?"

"Do you know what _I_ am?" He snapped back.

"Werewolf," Jace sneered. "Downworlder. And I am what sends you back to hell, creature!"

"'Back to hell?' Who is this guy, Bella?" Jacob asked, sniffing the air loudly. "You smell human to me." I couldn't help but smile at what Jake undoubtedly thought as a jibe. Jace's face was priceless.

The bus roared back into life, and started back down the road, while it's other exiting passengers swiftly walked to their destinations. I stepped closer to Jake, and he wrapped his fingers around mine. Even his hands seemed huge compared to the last time I'd felt them. But it was amazing. I could be anywhere in the world, and if Jacob was there, it'd be home.

He winked at me and smiled. "Let's get some breakfast, and we'll get the hell out of this place." He was uncomfortable being so far from La Push. But that may be a little too close to home for me. Wouldn't Billy surely tell Charlie if I go back there with Jacob? And Charlie was always going through the rez on official police business and such. It'd be impossible to hide there, unless Jacob stuck me in a basement. Before I had the chance to voice my concerns, Jace spoke up.

"Sounds great! Where we going?"

Breakfast was probably the most uncomfortable experience of my life. Jacob and Jace glared at each other, refusing to speak, unless it was directly to me. It was childish, and starting to make me furious. This stupid male machismo was taking away Jacob's sunny personality, making him as surly and brooding as I'd been lately.

"You should really reconsider staying, Bella," Jace was pleading again. "At least, until we find who ever it is that's looking for you. Just traveling would be dangerous, even if your destination is safe."

He was trying for my rational side and doing a good job.

"Look, Bells, Sam is expecting us. In fact, the pack can follow the bus, if it's that big a deal."

"What about Charlie?" I asked him. "How can I possibly stay hidden from him in La Push?"

Jake chuckled, his eyes flashing with amusement. "Trust me. It's easy to keep secrets. We've been keeping them for generations."

Jace snorted, but had a curious look on his face. For the first time since their initial meeting, Jace was looking directly at Jacob. "Generations?" He wondered.

Jacob raised an eyebrow. "Yes. My father. His father before him, and so on. You know. Gen – er – a tion."

"That's not what I meant," Jace snapped back at him. "I wasn't aware of any downworlder having a family."

Jacob looked offended. "My family has lived in La Push since the beginning of time. We can trace out lineage back to Taha Aki, the great Spirit Warrior."

Jace interrupted him. "Spirit warrior?"

Jake was trembling slightly, but kept his gaze on Jace's. "That's what I said."

Jace stared back in silence for a long time. Just as I was going to try and say something to break it, he spoke again, but it seemed like he was only thinking aloud. "Not a werewolf? Spirit Warrior? What does that mean? It couldn't be..."

"Couldn't be what?" I wondered as Jake and I exchanged a glance.

He was quiet again, gaging our reactions, the skepticism evident on his golden face. "Are you done?"

I looked down at my breakfast that I'd barely touched, and noticed the boys had already finished their plates. I nodded anyway. I hadn't been hungry in months. We stood, and as Jacob shoveled as much of my left-overs into his mouth as he could, and walked back to the street.

After turning the first corner, the crowds dispersed, and we were mostly alone as we made our way down the sidewalk. I walked between the two of them, feeling positively dwarfed. Jacob loped along at a steady glide, but Jace was almost bouncing with poorly restrained excitement. His golden hair shone in the sunlight like pure gold. The way it curled behind his ears was charming, in a boyish way, though the rest of him was the lean and muscular physique of a man. It was not unlike my Jacob, who appeared to be a man closer to thirty, but had the demeanor and humor of the teenager he was.

At the end of that street was a small park, which consisted of a small patch of browning grass and a partially demolished swing set. Some one had rigged the remaining swing so it was the only functional part of the contraption, and I threw myself into it. Jacob stood to my left, digging his toes in the soft sand.

"You've never been bitten?" Jace suddenly asked. He had stopped in front of us, and was staring hard at Jake.

"Do I look look a _leech_ to you?" He snapped back. I noticed his russet hands clenched into tight fists at his sides as he tried to calm the quivers running through his body.

Jace only smiled obliviously. "I didn't say by a vampire. Don't overreact. If you're what I think you are, then we have more in common than I thought."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Jacob demanded, looking a little disgusted he would have anything in common with someone like Jace.

"Not werewolf," Jace whispered. "_Shape-shifter._"

Jake and I stared at him dumbly. Finally, Jace realized we had no idea what he meant, nor the ominous tone he had used.

"Werewolves are like an infection," he began, but Jacob looked affronted, so he put a hand up to stop his angry response. "Please."

Jake shrugged, and Jace went on. "Real werewolves infect humans through biting them, though they usually end up eating them in the frenzy." I balked at that, and noticed a similar expression on Jake's face. "Sometimes werewolves mate with each other or humans, and the offspring carry the infection, but there is no third generation wolves. We suspect that the disease makes them incapable of procreation. Nothing without a soul an reproduce."

My friend snarled next to me, and I held out my hand, and laced my fingers with him as comfort. Jace had a point, and I found his explanation enthralling.

"Werewolves are also ruled by the full moon. That doesn't mean they can't change at other times, but the moon has complete control over their cycle."

Jake snorted next to me, apparently unable to contain himself any longer. "You make it sound like a bunch of girls," he laughed.

Jace smiled his golden smile. "Yes, but shape shifters are something else entirely." His voice took on an ominous tone. "Like shadowhunters, they are descended from angels. Angels who passed to their offspring the ability to fight the forces of evil. The fact that you are a wolf is just haphazard. It could have been any animal. There have been clans of people who shifted into birds and bears and tigers.

"These clans have been gone for centuries. They are legends, bedtime stories for young shadowhunters." He laughed aloud as if in on some private joke. "The Clave would love to get their hands on you."

Jacob and I stayed silent while Jace chuckled to himself. "It really is amazing,: he finally said. "It's been six-hundred years since the last shape-shifters walked this world."

This time, Jacob was laughing. "Goes to show how much you know. My grandfather was a wolf, only seventy years ago, and there have been others – dozens – in the last six hundred years."

"Unreal," Jace murmured.

"What is?" A voice cut across the park.

Our heads turned to see Clary walking toward us with Simon at her heals.

"Well," Jace said, a sarcastic smile spreading across his face. "If it isn't the great Houdini. I hear you made quite the escape last night, though _sprint _might be a better word for it."

The dark-haired boy scowled at him. "I suppose you'll want a thank you for that, too," he said wryly.

'Oh, shut up," Clary said, and looked over at me, and noticed Jacob at my side. "Nice to see you again."

Jake nodded to her.

"I was just discussing with Jake here some of the finer points of angel blood." Jace told them with a quick smile. "Simon knows all about that, don't you?"

Just then, Jacob tensed beside me, and his whole body was thrown into a fit of shaking, much worse than the small shudders Jace had roused with his earlier jibes. It took a full second for it to click in my mind. Jacob was reacting to Simon, because he was a vampire. I clenched my hand tighter to Jake's, reminding him of my presence, which seemed to calm him some.

"All this is well and good, but I've got to get Bella out of here, before trouble finds her." His voice was raw with tension, but I knew he was within his limits.

Worry crossed over both Jace and Clary's faces at the same time. "You have to stay, Bella," Clary was suddenly pleading. "You don't know what you're up against."

I just shrugged noncommittally. I'd be the first to admit I knew next to nothing about werewolves and demons, but I knew about vampires. There were worse ways to go, and I'd already been living in hell for months now. There wasn't much that could make it worse. Unintentionally, my grip tightened on Jake's fingers.

In a small voice I told her, "I don't belong at the Institute. I belong..." But I didn't really know where I belonged.

Jace snorted, and reach forward, placing a casual hand on my shoulder. He looked into me with bright eyes, and a huge smile. "Why do you think we exist?"

"Why do you think _we_ do?" Jake snarled from my side. "She'll be protected with me."

And I had no doubt to the truth of his words. "He's right. Jake is my best friend. I'll be ok."

Clary pushed her way forward, leaving Simon standing alone in the background, staring at us. "You can't leave, Bella." She almost seemed to choke. "_He's_ looking for you now."

Everyone's eyes turned to her, except the dark headed vampire, whose eyes turned downward.

She went on in a rush, as if hurrying the word would make it less true. "_Valentine._"

I spun my eyes from her face to Jace's as he registered his own shock. "Your...your dad? I don't understand."

"He's not our father," Jace said in a menacing voice. "When did you hear this?" He demanded Clary.

Her eyes turned to Simon, and everyone else's followed. He looked more than uncomfortable. Standing in a loose fitting black T and thrashed dark jeans, he was kicking at the ground. Jace stomped over to him.

"What is this?"

When Simon's eyes met Jace's, I was surprised at the anger in them. He had seemed incredibly uncomfortable. I knew he didn't care much for Jace, regardless that he had let Simon nearly drain him to save his life. It was an act of love for his sister, not that he was admitting that. It was just obvious to every one but Clary. Hence, the animosity with the vampire-ex.

"There's a price on her head!" Simon snapped back. "The _Volturi_ want her, and is offering a trade for something Valentine wants."

"And why wasn't I told?" His voice took on a vicious tone.

Dryly, Simon sneered. "I didn't know I was reporting to you."

"Listen, I don't much about these Volturi-guys - " Clary started, but Simon interrupted her.

"They are the essence of our kind. The reason vampires are the creatures of nightmares." I shuddered at his words, remembering a long ago conversation with Edward. "Raphael wasn't happy when they got involved. His whole coven is at risk."

Jace was standing up straight again, and started pacing. "What does Valentine want that they would have?"

We were all silent, but eventually, Jacob spoke up. "Even more reason to get her away from you."

Jace laughed and Clary said, "Are you kidding me? That's even more reason to keep her close. We can keep Valentine away."

"And the Volturi?" Simon asked.

"We can cross each bridge as it comes," Jace said confidently. He looked quickly at Jacob hovering over my shoulder. "You can stay here, too."

"I don't know if Sam would like that much."

"Wait," I interrupted the bickering about to erupt again. "Let _me_ think it over." I didn't really feel like going back to La Push, where Jacob would inevitably take me. It was too close to home. I missed Forks and Charlie, but I wouldn't go back to the damn psychiatric ward in the hospital, and if my dad saw me, that's exactly where I'd end up. The thought of rogue vampires, maniacal fathers, and tyrannical ancient cults didn't even factor in.

If I stayed here in the city, under the Shadowhunters' watchful eyes,however, I'd feel just as out of place as I had before, even with Jake beside me. Neither plan seemed the right thing. Every one stayed put as I backed away from the loose circle, and began walking back and forth.

The best idea seemed to be to take none of their suggestions. I couldn't stay here in the city, where I was obviously attracting too much unwanted attention, not that any of it made sense. Neither could I go back to La Push, where Charlie would undoubtedly find me lurking about the rez. It only left one option. "I have to go," I said finally, turning to stop their furious whispering.

Jacob sighed a visible gust of relief, but I cut it short. "But I can't go anywhere near Forks."

His eyes widened, as he thought over my words. Without hesitation, Clary bounded over to me. "I'm coming with you," she said.

"Clary -" Jace started, but with graceful speed, Simon was at her side.

"I'll come with you." His words were only for Clary, who snorted.

"And Maia?"

He groaned, but Jake stepped forward. "Sam's gonna kill me," he muttered, but the heat of his hand closed over mine. I smiled at him, who returned his own wolfish grin, but his eyes betrayed the true feelings of grief. Leaving his home for an extended period, was not something he was looking forward to.

Jace groaned, and was muttering angrily under his breath. "I should call Isabelle and Alec and let them know." Clary shot his a smile that hit his back, but didn't go unnoticed by Simon. He turned around quickly, pulling a phone from his own pocket.

Suddenly, I had an entire entourage. Now, where wouldn't be safe?

**A/N: Review if any one is still out there!**


	11. Chapter 11

**I own neither Twilight nor the Mortal Instruments... But I do love both Jace and Edward (and Jasper and Jacob and Simon - and probably Sebastien...). That should count for something.**

**This chapter brings in the last two characters...Then we can really shake things up. This is just a taste...**

**Chapter 11**

**Attack from Above**

**or**

**Attack from Below  
**

Ed POV:

Bella was nowhere to be found. We had been methodically combing the city for another trace of her. After finding a concentration in a park, where she must have lingered for awhile, the trail disappeared. It was tainted with other scents: the smells of wolves and vampires alike. My Bella was still in trouble, but from there, the cacophony of fragrances faded away. I cursed myself for not being a better tracker.

Alice was near hysterics. She searched and searched and couldn't find Bella anywhere in the future. She'd had simply disappeared. She was sobbing, despite Jasper's calming arms tightly wound around her. But I refused to believe it.

"If Bella was gone," I choked out miserably, "I'd know. I'd feel it," I whispered, trying to convince myself as much as my sister. I'd left my heart with her, my soul.

I'd feel it if she no longer lived. Of that I was sure.

Jasper looked at me with soft eyes, seizing another opportunity to pull his wife from the emotional free fall. "I'd feel it. If it were you," he whispered right into her ear. She still trembled, but her sobbing quieted immediately.

"Where is she?" She moaned loudly, and then stopped breathing entirely. A vision faded through her thoughts, wiping everything else away.

As she saw it, a small, armored creature crawled from a copse of trees. It glided on a thousand stubby legs, which worked in a fluid motion, propelling it directly at Jasper and Alice.

Its speed was incredibly swift, and Jasper barely pulled his wife from the three feet long, acid green tipped pincers. The muted light of the clouded afternoon, shone against the dull gray of its scaled back.

_Kill. Kill. Kill._

My mind couldn't even begin to comprehend what I was seeing, what I was hearing. Panic in the others' minds told me they heard it, too. This thing was chanting as it moved.

The grotesque insect lithely changed course, and used its legs to jump upward, landing on my chest. Poison began to bead, as I pushed it away violently. It held tight with the tiny barbs running up each of its legs.

_Kill. Kill. Kill._

Clinging to my shirt, a drop of venom dripped onto my clothing, searing the material. My fingers went for the rows of black eyes that blossomed one on top of another encasing its head. With fingers spread, I rammed them into them.

The scream that echoed through it, hit my mind. Like Jane of the Volturi, I was suddenly rendered helpless against the grating, high pitched shrieks. My fingers, oozing with the thick black blood, were in my hair at my temples, as my own screams echoed through my mind. The cacophony was enough to grind my joints, roil my stomach, and make my head burn at the same instant.

Suddenly, a flash of blue light seared through my clenched lids, effectively ending half of the madness wreaking havoc in my mind, though my own echoing pain lingered. The shrieks had felt like millions of tiny daggers piercing my skull, tearing it apart. I clung to my hair tightly, as if to solidyify it was still attached to my body.

_Edward! _Alice's voice finally cut through the conundrum of my thoughts, but I couldn't open my eyes. I couldn't face that alien thing.

_Something's coming!_

Then, the scent hit me hard, and I wheezed as the stench of burnt canine charred my senses, effectively diffusing my pain. At least it banished the lingering haze. I leaped to my feet, as my eyes opened.

Jasper and Alice were crouched, he slightly in front of his mate. A shadow fell on them from across the park.

Strange there wasn't light enough for shadows, but it wass hardl the time to reflect on it. Everything was beyond sense at the moment.

Then, Alice screamed.

"Shut her up!" Yelled another rough and unfamiliar voice.

I only half paid attention as I realized the voice was charging in from the right. Whoever it was screaming to stop Alice's hysterics, as he ran toward us, but neither Jasper nor my focus could be pulled away from the other man descending upon us.

His steps were slow, deliberate and fanciful, as he strutted confidently forward. Long white blond hair was tied at the nape of his neck, but it was the look upon his inhumanely pale countenance.

Lips twisted wickedly at both ends and the malicious glint in his eye was enough to make even my century old blood turn to ice.

"Well, well, well," came the sneering voice of the approaching man.

He was mortal. I could sense the steady thud of his heartbeat, but my instincts told me this was far from the helpless human.

"_Valentine_," came the distinctly canine growl from behind.

At the same instant both of my siblings shared the same thought: _Werewolf._

The man behind me, separating me from Jasper and Alice, was fair haired and thickset, but his blue eyes shone fierce and true and blazed at the man still making his way toward us. He was only a few feet from me before he stopped. It was then I noticed the faint lines of scars or tattoos sprouting from his shirt and up his neck and also where his long hands hung at his sides.

His smile gleamed in the dull light.

"What brings you here, Lucian, my friend?" He said it with a vicious sneer.

"I am no friend to you," the werewolf, growled back.

"No," was the short reply, before the man's eyes settled on me.

"And you three?" Continued the fearsome man. "What are three of Carlisle's prodigies doing here? Tracking my daughter?"

I was frustrated his mind was impenetrable. It was as if bound and locked by the mightiest bolts. It was not unreadable, like my Bella's, only hidden.

"How do you know Carlisle?" Jasper hissed, trained to be ready for any situation.

"You have it wrong, my shiny skinned brethren."

The wolf snorted.

"Like Lucian here," Valentine gestured grandly, encompassing everyone. "You've been contaminated, poisoned by foul downworlder scum. The difference is you inherited the glorious blood of Raziel through that venom, and Lucian's blood, pure from the angel's own, was poisoned by it. You are both monsters despite what blood travels through your veins."

I took it as a strike at Carlisle, and found my voice strong in my anger. "_We are not monsters_."

Valentine laughed. Loud. Deep. Delightfully amused with maliciousness.

"Oh? Do you not drink blood? Are you not grotesquely graceful and disgustingly strong? You, friend, are the epitome of _monster._"

"What do you want with Bella?" Alice asked, just as a hazy vision of this bastard's hands grabbing my love's arms faded in her mind.

He smiled wickedly at the question, obviously not going to answer.

"Then what have you done with Clary?"

The blue eyes flashed behind me, shooting daggers with a steel glare.

"Ah," Valentine mused. "Are we a proud father, Lucian? You think of the girl as your own – the fruit of _my _loins? You are as foolish as ever."

Shadows began to creep in behind the man standing in the striking gray suit. He towered as the wind picked up speed. Harder and harder it blew, until it began pulling leaves from the trees, spinning around the park. It was growing darker and darker around us.

Then, as Valentine's teeth glinted with his bright white sneer, the blackness began to form. It slowly separated into flapping wings, thick antennae, and dark blue hairy bodies. It smashed back into itself, soundlessly, then ripped apart again nearly forming into individual creatures. The lack of sound was neither here nor there, oddly misplaced, but none of us could deny the mass was whirling closer. Tiny yellowed teeth snapped at us, still not twisted into solitary entities, but swarming in ever closer circles.

"What the fuck!" Jasper finally lost his cool, ducking to avoid a lone divebomber.

Valentine's fierce laughter broke through the hushed attack.

For painful agonizing minutes, his harsh mirth filled our minds and ears. In the echoes of his laughter the air seemed to be sucked away. The vacuum happened so abruptly; it surely would have imploded the lungs of any human.

Then, like a crash of glass, every noise suddenly blared into subsistence. The attack slammed into existence.

The _things_ were now diving, grabbing clothes. Every mouth of snapping, decaying jaws had its own thick furred body behind it, and used that freedom to assault us.

Alice screamed again. She was terrified out of her mind. And, though I was loathe to admit that so was I.

Whatever was attacking began tearing chunks of flesh away.

A voice was yelling, but it was hard to hear over the thunder assailing us.

The midnight blue oddities were snapping at my eyes, and all I could do to swat them away, as they struck with amazing stealth, like the millipede monster earlier.

Something slammed into me hard enough to knock me sideways and almost off my feet.

Then, over the roar of thousands of wings, and the occasional screech as one of the beasts made impact with the marble of vampire skin, I heard the shouting again. This time I heard exactly what Jasper was shouting, "_Run_!"

I sighed inwardly, but hesitated no further. Like a bullet, I was speeding away from the tornado of vampire shredding flying monsters.

**

It was many miles (and many of those through public, populated areas) before I even took notice that we were four instead of three. The werewolf ran with us in a partially transformed state. It was only odd until Jasper confirmed my suspicions that it wasn't the same type of wolf we were familiar with in the United States.

Jasper's firsthand experience with this type of creature made him overly weary, therefore making all of us eye him nervously. Instinctively, we stopped in a circle, wolf in the center. At first, he didn't realize he was in the middle three extremely tense vampires. He bent low, hands on knees, inhaling deep breaths. His ears were long, brown and covered in a coarse hair, just like the thick hair on his hands and neck sticking out from his red flannel shirt.

Alice, who was slow to judge any creature, looked on his lumberjack (her thought, not mine) style clothing, and put an affronted look on her face. Despite having just fled from a swarm of undead-hungry mutant bats, she was about to pull out her Fashion Police badge. And I'm only partially kidding.

Before he had fully recovered himself, I spoke. If it were to come to a fight, any advantage was beneficial against a true child of the moon. They were known not to stop attacking until their jaws were snapped in half.

"Who are you?" I asked. My voice was hard enough to give him pause before he met my eye. His were weary, tired, and miserable.

Jasper solidified my assessment, as he answered.

"I am Luke Garroway." His voice was as worn as his eyes. I noticed the gray hair coming in at his temples. "I…I think you need my help."

"Doubtful," Jasper said coldly.

"No, what I mean to say, was you went to Raphael's lair, and the downtown pack…I want to know what you want with the girl."

"I hardly see how it's any business of yours," I told him.

"Edward, wait," Alice spoke up. "I think he can give us more than we have on our own."

All eyes rested on her before I finally asked, "And what does he have to offer?"

My voice sounded like ice: smooth, clear, cold.

But Alice's smile was bright as she turned to me. "A phone number."

***

**A/N: I love getting reviews. It makes me happy so many people were waiting for this. Oh, and like I said, I haven't read these books for awhile, so if I got details like eye color wrong on the MI characters, I truly apologize. Let me know, and I'll fix it. Also, is there any kind of MI lexicon, like the Twilight Lexicon? Websites like those are invaluable information sources. If anyone knows of anything uselful, of just want to say hi, DO IT!**


	12. Chapter 12

**How many of you thought City of Glass was just about the best damn book you ever read? I ooo-ed, and ah-ed. I laughed and cried. I sat on the edge of my chair, absorbed in the final chapter of the Mortal Instruments Trilogy...OMG. It was perfect. Ms. Clare, I tip my hat and bow down before you! Amazing! **

**None of these characters belong to me...  
**

**Chapter 12**

**Vampires, Werewolves, and Shadowhunters, OH MY!**

The cabin was by no means special. In fact, I'd call it a real hole, but I wouldn't dare say it in front of Jake. It had belonged to his family for generations, an inheritance from his great grandfather Ephraim who told his grandfather every man needed an escape.

If anything, the location was amazing. The stuff artists drool over. From the winding dirt road up the mountain pass that was lined in beautiful white and yellow wildflowers, to the back door that opened on a crystal clear mountain lake. The location was absolutely breath taking.

The cabin was as ancient as Ephraim, and not much work had gone into sustaining it as livable. Jace's face drew grim the moment he stepped inside. Shadows passed over his features, but he remained mercilessly silent.

"I hope Maia used MapQuest on this place, because there's nothing even close to a signal up here," Simon fumed to himself as he snapped his phone closed. He seemed utterly unperturbed by the dirty, breezy, and possibly animal infested accommodations, only about Maia. It frustrated me for Clary's sake. Then again, I'd heard Jace making fun of him for sleeping in an abandoned hotel with his coven. Something told me the two places weren't that dissimilar.

Jake looked grumpy as he walked through the tiny two bedroom wooden structure complete with kitchenette next to an open toilet. It had to have been added this century, perhaps by Billy? But the disgusting greenish mold covering it, made it seem from another era entirely. It was disgusting.

"Makes you appreciate the term '_when nature calls'_," he joked humorlessly.

"Poison ivy looks safer than that," I agreed.

Then he really laughed and threw his arm over my shoulder, guiding me out the back door where Clary, Jace and Simon were standing around awkwardly. It struck me that Simon's skin remained pale. No diamonds embedded under his dead flesh. But it only dug up raw memories that tore at my heart. I had to push the pain away. I had to get better. I looked at the people here with me, here to protect me, and I knew I _had _to get better. For the people who loved me. I couldn't dwell forever on the fickle Romeo who left me to fall apart.

"…sleeping arrangements," Jace was saying.

"Easy," Jake interjected. "Bella and I get a room, and –"

"Hold it there, Sparky," Clary gratefully interrupted. "Girls in one room, boys…anywhere else."

I met her eyes and mirrored her smile. Something about her made me so comfortable.

"I actually feel like lying down," I said.

Jake actually began to lead me in and show me where the bedroom was, before I remembered the sickening state of the toilet. My stomach turned again.

Jace and Simon were already in the lake, each floating lazily in the calm mountain water. The sun was warm. The inside of that cabin seemed awfully dark and dirty standing amidst the pristine scenery.

I stopped. "On second thought, I'll just hang out in the sun for awhile."

I was sure to be able to doze in the warming rays of the sun. It'd be like a day at the beach and a campout in one. The best of all worlds.

Not even ten minutes later, I was lounging under a shady pine, listening to the sounds of the others splashing in the water fade away from me. My body relaxed, delighting in the way the sun hit my skin in sporadic locations.

It wasn't long before the easy feeling lulled me into the blankness and my body slept.

When my eyes opened, it was dark. Strange no one woke me. In a slight haze, I pulled myself off the ground, feeling the dampness against my back. It had seeped through the thick quilt. I wondered how long I'd been out.

Then it struck me no one was around.

Gone was the splashing and fun I'd closed my eyes to earlier. The sky was pitch black, not disrupted by clouds or a pinprick of light. In fact, the blackness consumed everything around me. I knew I was still at the cabin. I could hear the soft lapping of the water against the rocky beach, smell the crisp clean air, sense the tall pine trees looming around me. But I saw nothing.

My head whipped back and forth in an effort to see something other than the thick blanket of darkness. It was fruitless.

"Hello?" I called, trying not to notice the way my own echo seemed to bounce right back at me, half mockingly. _Hellooo?_

"Clary!" I screamed out, panic finally spilling through.

_Clary?_

My voice bounded back at me, in the form of a question. Not at all the same tone I'd screamed it.

I was shocked into silence, my heavy thudding heart and hard breaths the only noise sounding in the pressing darkness. I rubbed at my eyes. They should have adjusted by now, but if anything, the blackness was darkening.

Shakily, I pulled myself to my feet, stretching my arms out in front of me like I was blindfolded. I was absolutely sightless.

Then, the air turned frosty, freezing in my lungs as I tried to fill them. The emptiness began to swirl. I could see it moving, undulating in the otherwise motionless air. The motions whirled faster, spinning and curling wildly, until it seemed to be forming into a dense mass before my astonished eyes.

Yet, everything was still so dark; it was impossible to tell if it was actually happening at all. A flash of spiraling light shot from the center of it and struck me in the chest, though it seemed to cause no damage. Two giant red eyes blinked from the black form as it continued pulling all the energy from around the area. The air noticeably thinned like it was being pulled directly from my lungs toward that haunting crimson stare.

The mass shrank, piled the blackness in on itself, until I was staring into a pale face that left my legs trembling. To use the word shocked would have been the understatement of the century. Stunned, awed, terrified, but shocked hardly seemed to do the vision justice.

My foot moved forward on its own accord. The jerky movement brought a smile to the face, but it was anything but familiar.

Then, there was another hand resting on his shoulder. A man hovered behind, but I couldn't make sense of where he'd come from. The pair wore mirrored expressions, chilling my bones while an intense shiver rolled up my spine.

The second man, with long white blond hair tied at the back of his neck, and dressed in a dark cloak and black clothing, stepped around the other man. His smile made my heart pound harder.

"Isabella," he greeted.

I didn't even have time to formulate anything resembling speech for a full moment. He knew me. Then, the other one, he had to be…

Was it possible?

I heard my voice from far away. "Edward." And it wasn't a question. No doubts in my mind the thing that had reformed from _nothing _was my Edward.

The crooked way his lips twisted bore little resemblance to the smile I remembered. It was cold, dead. The fact that his eyes blazed a fiery crimson was the only testament that he lived, and he used them to rove over my body. It made me feel completely exposed, naked, and the hungry gleam behind his stare was enough to know which form of lust controlled him.

"Yes, your Edward has come for you at last," the blonde man said jovially. Like this was some great joke to him. He walked slowly toward me, but I couldn't move, only lean as far as I could without falling over. He stopped inches from me. The warmth of his breath was heavy as it hit my chest. I shivered realizing the handsome man was haggard around the eyes in the way only a mortal could be. The lines that stretched from beneath his high collar marked him for what he was: frail, weakened, not mundane, but still _human_.

It was the fierce way he held himself that was hard to deny, and his power emulated from him like a thick cloud. Formidable, but not unstoppable. I could see that.

The manic look in his eye truly caught me off guard.

"We're here for you now," he whispered, too close. "Your Edward wants you back. You have the choice to wield the power, now, Isabella. He wants to give you that gift."

My chest was heaving as the words sank in. Without moving, it was Edward standing in front of me. He pushed his body against mine, a low growl vibrating from his chest. He leaned forward and traced his nose up the curve of my neck, inhaling deeply.

"Mmmm."

The growl became a purr of desire, but I was trembling beneath him.

"Bella," he murmured, touching icy lips to my skin.

It should have been perfect. The moment I'd secretly wished for six devastating months, but not like this.

This was wrong.

Edward was wrong.

I tried to push at him, my fingers splayed against his marbled chest. It was familiar, comforting almost. Something I recognized from before.

It was that moment of familiarity that sent the shock of panic surging in one immense wave. It attacked everywhere in my body in an instant. And I was struggling. Struggling against the only man I'd ever love, trying to rip myself from his deadly embrace.

I shouted out. "No! Stop, Edward!" But it was too late. He had me.

His cold hand slipped over my mouth, effectively muffling my screams.

My eyes snapped open.

I tried to sit, but something pinned me down and something still pressed against my mouth.

My legs thrashed wildly, until someone tried to grab them. But I kicked out, finding a target that was too hard to be human. Still, a grunt of pain echoed through my ears, followed by low cursing. I found myself completely pinned to the earth.

Ceasing my fruitless struggle, I took in deep breaths of air through my nose. My heart thundered erratically in my chest, but once relaxed I was able to see the dusty colored sky through the trees. Slowly, I realized it hadn't been real.

Jake's face suddenly appeared in my line of sight. He had a weary look in his eyes I'd never seen before. A long russet finger touched his lips, signaling me to be quiet. I relaxed my body entirely, and the pressure at my ankles disappeared immediately.

Jake released his hand from my mouth, and wiped it on his shorts before offering it back to help me sit up.

I could feel the tension as I looked around. I had been asleep for long enough for the sun to begin to go down. Jacob was still crouched next to me, head turned away seeming to be listening intently to something that I couldn't register.

My breathing finally evened out before Jace and Simon stepped out from the trees. They came over to us and Simon sank down a few feet away, while Jace paced absently.

"It doesn't make sense," he mumbled to himself.

Jacob relaxed and began watching Jace wear a path in the grass. I took it as the cue it was ok to speak.

"What just happened?"

"Something set off the wards," Jace answered without breaking stride. "But nothing was there."

I recognized disappointment in his tone.

"Yeah, but you were sure kicking up a storm," Jake mused meeting my glance with a tired smile.

It had been some nightmare.

"I thought you were going to go Exorcist on us," Simon added with his normal sarcasm.

I cringed despite myself. It was just a nightmare…a horribly frightening, terrible nightmare…

"Where's Clary?" I wondered because I didn't want to talk about my morbid dreams.

"They went to meet Maia in town. She should have been here by now." Simon answered. He stared in the direction of the road for a moment, then shook his head.

"Have they been gone long?"

No one answered.

"Well, what the hell is going on here? Is anyone concerned? Is anyone looking for her?" Dread was rising like bile in my throat. It was bitter enough that I began choking.

When, I expunged the vile feelings, but they only intensified, and I sobbed and choked on it.

Hot hands touched my back, my neck. The three of them were talking but I couldn't hear them over my retching. It was only swirling white noise.

I was crazy. At that moment I was sure of it. I was completely, one hundred percent insane…

**Review and tell me how much you loved CoG! I don't even care if you read this chapter. I just want to gush on and on about it. Seriously...I loved every single sentence in the entire book.....**


	13. Chapter 13

**The characters involved belong to Stephenie Meyers and Cassandra Calre respectively. **

**This is a darker one...enjoy...**

**Chapter 13**

**Captured**

When I was oriented again, I gaped at Jace.

"You let her go off by herself?" Fury washed over me. Couldn't he tell how dangerous it was out there? Didn't he understand what was happening?

My dreams were getting unnerving, and something had set off whatever alarms Jace had set around the area. Things were not right at all. As if reading my thoughts, the wind tore over the mountainside, biting my cheeks with the brisk sting. My hair tangled in the cool caress, and it was suddenly necessary that we find Clary.

"We have to find her!" I yelled out, this time because I needed to be heard over the whipping wind.

My body made to run, but two sets of hands stopped me before I'd really moved.

"Jace and I will go," Simon said.

"How could you let her go by herself?" I moaned.

The vampire's sensitive hearing picked up my lament through the howling, and stepped forward to look at my face.

"No one _lets_ Clary do anything. She left a message with wolf boy here, and he let her go." Simon nodded to Jake who was standing next to him.

"Oh, Jake, you didn't!" I wanted to cry.

"Well, no one said she should stay. And I thought you were the one anxious for this Maia to get here. You should be the one running into town to find your little girlfriend." Jacob was trying to defend himself by blaming Simon.

Simon paled even further than his normal white pallor. "Hey! I would have, but I got thirsty!"

"Enough!" I shouted. "Go get her! Jace is already gone."

Simon and Jake wheeled around to find out that Jace had indeed disappeared. It only took an instant before Simon ran off behind him like a streak of dark colored shadows.

Jake and I made our way back to the cabin. Despite the disgusting place, I was grateful for the bit of shelter it provided from the increasing wind outside. It didn't deter the howling and ripping noises it made when it slapped against the side of the wooden shack, but we were protected from the worst of the storm.

As soon as Jake shut the door, a bolt of lightning lit the sky outside a brilliant white color. It faded quickly, but left strange colored shadows blotting my vision. Suddenly, the air went deathly silent. Not like the wind had stopped pounding against the cottage, because I could still feel the pressure of it. This was like all the sound had been sucked away, striking my ears deaf.

Jake looked at me, black eyes wide. He opened his mouth, shouted at me, but there was nothing, only a increasing pressure inside my head. I shook it back and forth so he could see I couldn't hear him, but the house started shaking with silent tremors.

Jake disappeared from sight as I was thrown backward, landing hard on my elbow. My hearing erupted as an explosion ripped through the cabin. Suddenly, the force of the noises swirled everywhere in a cacophony of horrifying sounds.

Glass shattered, wood splintered. Something flew into my arm. My hand wrapped around it in pain, but it was easy to ignore the tacky substance that flowed there. My eyes were frantically searching the room, searching for Jake. To my terror, I saw the dark, swirling clouds hovering low in the sky above. Debris flew through the air from the partially collapsed roof.

"Jake?" I called out.

A flash of lightning snaked across the sky. The rumble of thunder rolled right on top of it.

"Jake!" I screamed this time, but I couldn't see him, let alone hear him. The wind whirled through the cabin like a tornado, but they were so infrequent in this part of the country, let alone on a mountainside. Where in the hell had it come from?

At that moment, the room lit up as if bathed in the afternoon sun. A shock went through my chest. My first thought was I'd been hit by lightening, but as the hair on my arms rose and tingled, I realized it was only a close call. It became apparent I find Jake before the whole place went up.

I called him over and over as I stepped into the decayed boards and rubble littering the entire front side of the house. The only reason I even realized there were tears streaming down my face was the blurred vision, but I was undeterred. Picking through the pieces, throwing the smaller pieces over my shoulder, I worked my way through the rubble, calling to Jake over and over again until my hands were slivered and bloodied and I was only sobbing.

And still the storm raged on, oblivious of my mounting despair. If anything, the howling of the wind only intensified, shaking the crumbling shack on its very foundation. The trees seemed to be shrieking against the rage and even the water crashed against the rocks, pounding a malicious rhythm to the storms steady symphony.

Rain fell through the open roof and began pelting my exposed, and somewhat sunburned skin with icy shards. There was no sign of my best friend. I stopped digging and looked everywhere. It didn't seem possible that he could be in here at all. But, where was he? It's not like he'd leave me.

Would he?

I stood, contemplating my darkest thoughts, feeling just as alone as I had for the last half a year, but this was worse. Now, I was scared. But I had not been abandoned. Jake wouldn't tear me apart like that. I just had no idea what that meant.

Stealing myself, I carefully made my way back through the mangled roof. Once clear of the piles, I scrambled to the door yanking on it. It wouldn't budge, no matter how hard I pulled. I may have screamed in frustration but the battering of sound drowned it out even to my own ears.

I turned back to the room, panting against the door. To say the least, I was freaked. It was impossible to describe as the terror finally took hold. It was almost painful as it pricked my toes and spread through me, finally tightening into a ball in my stomach, where it festered and sent cold chills stabbing into my spine.

The sky lit up with another blinding flash or the bluish light, but this time my eyes were able to watch as the line of light staggered and forked across the sky. It seemed to move in slow motion, falling ever closer to me. This time, I knew what was going to happen the instant before it reached me, but by then, it was too late. I pushed my hands out in a fruitless attempt to stave off the shocking current, but it zipped through my spread fingers and hit me in the chest with the force of a thousand sledge hammers. The jolt seemed to first light my entire body and then throw me into the wall. I hit the aged wood, feeling as it shuddered and splintered beneath me.

My head hit hard causing black spots to erupt before my eyes. I felt dizzy and disoriented, lightheaded to the point I thought I was about to pass out. My head fell onto my shoulder as my entire body sagged against the wall. I felt heavy like I was sinking into the earthen floor.

A light laughter seemed to echo around me, but I was too out of it to be sure. Shaking my head a little, trying to ignore the pounding that pushed out against my skull, I attempted to pull myself up. But as soon as my palm pressed against the ground, a searing pain shot through it. Recoiling instantly, I held it in front of my face. The skin had been burned leaving my flesh exposed and raw. To my terror it was smoking lightly. Then I noticed the balls of my feet stinging and knew they'd likely be the same. I knew I only had a few minutes before the shock cleared and I was thrust into the aching pain of burned flesh, so I acted as fast as my battered body would allow.

I pulled myself onto my feet, knees wobbling unsteadily, and turned around. The doorknob smoked when I grabbed it and the heat tore through the fresh burns. Tears leaked from dry eyes and I screamed, but this time, the door gave way enough for me to shove my shoe in. It took all my reserved strength to wretch the door open wide enough to slide outside and it fought against every bit of strain. But finally, with a gust of exerted force, and a hard blow of air against the outside, the door slammed into the wall, nearly knocking me down as it went.

I was able to scramble out of the now quaking shack, but only made it twenty yards before collapsing onto my hands and knees. I was sobbing hard now, the pain of my burns beginning to stab in sharp waves. A loud explosion burst out from behind. With hair whipping around my face I turned back quick enough to see the entire cabin fall in on itself with a plume of dark dust. The wind picked up the smaller pieces, carrying them off toward the forest.

I screamed out for my friend, even if I wasn't sure he had been in there at all, but my voice was a strangled whisper as I realized it too had been singed by the lightening. The sky was a strobe light of blue flashes and the fierce, rolling thunder. My body began shaking against the frigid ice pelting it, though it felt like it was on fire now. And the more I shivered, the worse the intense heat stabbed into me, burning from the inside out.

The wind whispered my name, taunting me, daring me to get up and run. But I knew it was hopeless. You can't outrun nature's fury. So, because there was absolutely nothing I could do, I curled up into the tightest ball I could endure, my raw skin stretching fiercely as I moved. The salt of my tears burned my cheeks, but it was all I could manage, so I held myself there, sobbing and crying, with eyes clenched tightly together as if I could shut off everything as easily as I could my sight.

But not seeing could have been worse. Around me, the night seemed to be torn apart by the howling wind. Branches were cracking, waves were crashing. It was worse than any nightmare I'd ever endured.

The sky lit up again, but this time it was a dim light, nothing like the bright flashes that had been shattering the blackness since the storm began. I didn't want to look. Something told me not to open my eyes, but when the light behind my lids turned to an orange glow, I couldn't keep them closed.

As my lashes fluttered open, it was easy to see where the brightness was coming from, though I could hardly believe it. I wondered for a moment if I hadn't passed out from shock or had actually died.

From the glowing ball of orange light churned a black mist. It rolled from the center, not affecting the dull glow and against the surge of air ripping across the mountainside. It lolled in lazy ripples, slowly forward, gathering more mass and density as it rolled closer to my huddled form. I couldn't move, couldn't blink as it began to build upward. The dark shadow pulled the mists against itself pulling higher until it towered above me.

When it began to solidify and take shape I should have at least tried to move, but I was fixated on the red eyes that burst from the nothingness. They glowed in narrowed slits gazing directly down at me. It was then I realized I _couldn't _move. I was incapable even though I was desperately trying to pull my muscles into action. They rebelled and screamed out in anguish as the fire burned inside them.

Instead, I managed a weak cough.

Laughter seemed to bounce in my head, but I wasn't sure if I actually heard it. In fact, I raised my hand to my ear, touching the blistered skin softly. When I pulled it away, I was only half surprised to see a smear of crimson on my fingertips. The lightening had probably burst my eardrums as well. The queasiness jumped in my stomach and I had no choice but to turn my head and try to expel the bitterness.

As I heaved, I was too aware of the malicious red eyes on me. What I was not prepared for was what I saw when I finally lifted my heavy head.

Standing before me was not dark shadow standing against a black night. In fact, the man was light, with pale skin and a piercing smile. His eyes flashed once red then turned black. The stared into me as he smiled in a way that was almost gentle had he not just appeared out of an unnatural fog.

"And so we finally meet, Bella," he said as if we were sitting down to tea.

It seemed out of place as I writhed on the ground at his feet in the violent wind. I was horrified because I recognized him. I shouldn't, but I _knew_ him. Or at least, I'd seen his face before. And not just because he'd passed a remarkable amount of features to his daughter – my _friend_ – but because I had just awoken from a dream starring him minutes before this nightmare even started.

The man stooped low, smile widening. "I am almost disappointed at how easy this was," he mused. "But, as long as the end, what matters the means?"

The madman was speaking in riddles. It chilled me more than if he'd said something that had made perfect sense, like _Its time to say goodbye, Bella._ And honestly, what chance was there for me now, with the most eccentric shadowhunter ever looming over me like a weight against my chest.

At least some of the pain dissipated with the adrenaline of my fear, but that only seemed to incite him further, and he chuckled with sharp maniacal amusement.

"You, my pretty thing, will be the key to the new world," he said just as two razor sharp talon crushed into my shoulder. The pressure caused the rest of my pain to cry out in agony, as seizure of intense heat ripped down me. Then, I was lifted from the ground, barely sensing the movement outside the harsh wind beating against my face.

I barely managed to raise my head, but vomited immediately when I looked up to see a featherless, eyeless beast. Its bat-like wings beat strongly against the hurricane strength wind.

It was then my fragile psyche finally bestowed pity on my wrecked mind and body. My vision faded at the edges as the darkness pulled me under. It was just as I let my eyes slip, my body still being jerked powerfully upward, that I saw a flash of familiar bronze far below my dangling feet.

I had an instant of recognition, an instant of hope, but my earlier nightmare rang in my mind and sufficiently dragged me into the haze of nothing.

**A/N: This story seems to be picking up speed! Let me know what you think about what's going on. Any theories?**


	14. Chapter 14

**Casandra Clare and Stephenie Meyers are the creative force behind the characters.**

**I know, I know...I should have an excuse, but I don't. I'll just remind you that I struggle with this one. I messed with this chapter for weeks, and I'm finally giving up. I think I got the point across. Valentine's desires should be a bit more apparent. Thanks to everyone who favorites and reviews! You're the only reason I try...**

**Chapter 14**

**Losing Her**

**or**

**Losing Hope  
**

Edward POV

"Bella!" I shouted it over and over again, my voice being sucked into the storm. How had this happened? Leaving was supposed to protect her, allow her the normalcy being with a vampire could never allow. I had never anticipated things could go so horribly wrong.

She'd been pulled into the thundering mass of black storm. My body tremored as I screamed out to the place Bella disappeared. There'd never been an instant in my life that I felt more scared, and it was tearing me apart. I'd lost her.

Alice was shouting, but her small voice was easily taken before it could reach my ears. But I couldn't block her mind. _He's here Edward! It was him!_

My eyes snapped up to see the blonde man standing a few feet away. Luke, the werewolf, was close to him, leaning forward, arguing with the madman from the park. But Valentine's mind was clear, and Luke's was angry, swirling. I could make no sense from either. But it didn't matter. I was already charging.

Valentine's eye looked up and caught mine. The smile that twisted his face was sickening, contorting his even features into a gruesome mask. Then he laughed as he drew a glowing symbol in the air. The air swirled around he and Luke, warping my sight like heatwaves rising from pavement.

I pushed myself harder, but I wasn't enough. Luke, Valentine, and the haze were gone the moment I made it to the spot they'd been standing.

I screamed out an unprintable word in my anger. He had Bella, and he had Luke, our best chance to find her. What was that guy's problem?

I was sobbing, but barely recognized the wrenching gasps were coming from inside my chest. Small hands touched my back as Alice tried to console me, but it was impossible. I felt utterly wrecked.

Suddenly there was a flash of brightness, and I couldn't help but look up. It was too bright, not lightening, and not the right color.

I thought I was dreaming for a minute. There was a man in the clearing behind the cabin that didn't belong anywhere near this world. His body was unnaturally long and lean, and he had a barrage of spines sprouting from the top of his head. His body was draped in tight fitting neon clothing, and his eyes were a peculiar shade of yellow.

He was swaggering directly over to me, eyes feline and laughing. I readied myself to rip his head off just for mocking my pain, but Alice increased the pressure on my back. _Easy, Edward. _I'd almost forgotten she was there, but as soon as I registered her behind me, I sensed Jasper lurking further back, eyeing the stranger with the same apprehension as I did.

The man kept walking, smile growing brighter the closer he came.

"Now, now, boys," he said in a taunting voice. "Is that any way to treat a high warlock? More importantly, the high warlock that's going to get you out of this mess? Oh, and I just have to say," he raised a hand to his chest and looked at Alice, "I love your hair."

*

Luke POV

"The girl is unimportant," Valentine smiled. "She is a tool. A tool to get what I need."

"She is a human being," I hissed out. I hated being this close to him. He was evil lurking amongst men.

Valentine leaned over his desk, and clasped his hands in front of him. Long fingers laced together. I could see the faint shine of his steele inside his hands. He never had it far from reach. Especially if there was danger present. I almost smiled knowing I could make him as uncomfortable as he made me.

"The Volturi are indecent. They are the reason I even joined your crusade at first."

I hated to admit it to him, but the Volturi was everything wrong with the world. Their power and influence was unmatched the world round, and they had their hand in mundane affairs. They killed and destroyed without mercy. They were the very reason my own jaws craved the marble of their flesh. They were my mortal enemy based on instinct alone. Logic made us enemies on a much broader scale. The Volturi were nothing like the trio looking for the girl. They were power hungry, thirst driven monsters. The Cullens' golden eyes assured me of their difference. It was red eyes that haunted my nightmares.

"You look tired, old friend. The days grow slow for you, don't they?"

I looked away from Valentine and at the hands I held clenched at my side. They were aging. They looked old and worn. I reminded myself that these hands had been strong and courageous hands. I may be my own man, but I was still a slave to time.

With a sigh, I unclenched them and placed them cautiously on Valentine's desk, leaning forward. He'd brought me to some warehouse. I wasn't exactly sure, but I thought we were in the city. I'd been brought here for a reason, and my old _friend _still hadn't divulged his intentions yet. His desire to see me dead was strong. I could see it in his eyes, smell it on his breath. I just couldn't understand why he hadn't made a move yet.

"What do you want with me?" I growled settling my heavy gaze back on him.

Valentine smiled again. My body tremored a bit, as my instincts howled that I rip the smug look off his face.

"They didn't ask for you specifically, Lucian, but I thought I'd throw in an added bonus. They are unwittingly giving me the means to destroy them."

He paused and winked at me. "Aro has some experiments with your name all over them."

*

Bella POV

When I woke up, I couldn't see anything. I didn't know if I was above ground or below, how far I'd come, or what had brought me here. There were heavy restraints around my wrists and my ankles. It was impossible to move them. My tongue was dry and tasted like I'd thrown up then slept for a week.

I couldn't hear anything that might give away my position. There wasn't the roaring sound of engines, city traffic, or even a cricket chirping. There was only silence.

Silence and darkness.

A swell of panic overwhelmed me and I twisted my neck back and forth, looking for anything that would indicate my location. A beam of light, a hushed footstep, a horn honking. I just needed something to reassure me that I wasn't dead.

I realized that it was much easier to know how death would come for me, like when I'd stared into the cold red eyes of James before he bit me. That had been simple to accept.

But that time, _he'd _been there to save me.

My thoughts turned to the glimpse of bronze I saw as I was jerked off my feet and into the air. Had I imagined that as the bat-thing carried me away? Or had _he _really been there? I was almost terrified to entertain the thought that I'd been so close.

But, how could I be so scared of someone I'd pursued, kissed, _loved? _

I'd been having nightmares about him for weeks. They were senseless and terrifying, like when Jace had told me to run from him or when _he _tried to smother me with his hand. In fact, every dream I'd had lately had been like that, and it left a sick spin in my stomach. My brain was crossing signals left and right and thinking about it made me even more anxious.

I wondered how long I'd be kept here. How long I'd been here already.

Then, there was a soft sound, barely distinguishable. I became immediately apprehensive, not knowing if it was friend or foe. I inclined my head, not really knowing where it came from. I listened as hard as I could, hoping to hear it again.

It could be rats or spiders or worse. That bat wasn't pretty.

Goosebumps rose over my arms and continued down my spine.

Suddenly a small puff of air hit my ear. I froze, my heart thundering and my breathing quick and shallow.

_Isabella._

I more _felt _my name than heard it.

The empty space around me felt like a tomb: old, forgotten. I cringed, but didn't know which way to duck away. The voice was everywhere. The threat was everywhere. I tried turning my body, but with the shackles weighing me down, it was pointless.

I heard it again. This time, the voice was laughing.

There was a flash of bronze, then, a man was suddenly standing before me. Tall and confident, he appeared under one of the suddenly illuminated fluorescent lights overhead. He was only vaguely familiar, as he stared at me with deep red eyes. But my heart tore to pieces at the sight of him. I hadn't thought there was anything left to break, but there it was. Like a thousand tiny razors to my heart, hope drained from me.

Thin lips curled into a smile more wicked than the one James had given me. He was intimidating in the tightly fitting black clothes. I wished I had Jace by my side as he stared down at me. Jace was strong, an immovable force. I had no doubt that he could look at this and not cower like I did.

"Isabella, I'm so glad you could make it," he sneered. "What a pleasant surprise."

My ears felt like they'd burst at hearing the musical tenor again. Tears slid from my eyes, but I let them fall. Here he was. The man of my dreams, the terror of my nightmares, smiled at me with his crooked grin dripping pure malice.

"Aro will be pleased enough, I think." His voice was mocking as he studied me like a specimen in a test tube.

The name rang a bell, but I couldn't place it. Why would this Aro be pleased?

His finger reached out and touched my cheek. The action was too intimate, and I tried to turn my head. Icy fingers closed over my chin and he held my face so I could look nowhere but at his cold, crimson eyes. I felt none of the electricity he used to drive through me.

"As long as the downworlder scum live up to their side of the bargain, it doesn't matter what happens, does it, my dear? You'll be making a sacrifice for the good of mankind. You are a fine human. Consider yourself proud that you will serve a greater cause."

"I don't want to serve any cause," I stuttered defiantly. I tried to ignore his fingers pressing harder into my chin.

"But it never matters what the human wants," he hissed, bending his lean body closer. I could hear the fabric of the clothing stretching. "No one cares about the merely mortal."

My breath caught in my throat. His words were like slippery oil as they slid over my thoughts. He was right. No one did care what happened to someone who was just a flicker in time. Well, maybe Charlie and Renee, and probably Jake, if he survived the cabin collapse, but hearing it from the lips of the one I wanted to care the most was too much. If he cared so little, than why should I be different? My chest tore open wider. Pain shot through my body. My fingertips were tingling.

Then, I went numb. Completely.

With resigned acceptance, I raised my chin higher, stretching my neck, offering to him what I knew he desired above anything else. I would give him the satisfaction of knowing that what happened from here on out, was pointless. I would take what I was given, because I _couldn't_ care. I just didn't have it in me anymore.

Sensing I wasn't about to say anything, Edward raised himself back to his full height. He swept from the room with a final glare. His bronze hair gleamed slightly as he moved, but I was plunged back into darkness.

I stared at the nothingness with resignation. Nothing could be worse than that. I'd been barely a person for months, and this was the final blow. I didn't want me any more either. Death could only be relief.

**A/N: SO what did you think? Let me know in a review!**


	15. Chapter 15

**There's really no excuse, but shout out to xoglowergrinox123, who pulled me out of my daze which finally pushed me to spit this out. **

**None of the characters belong to me.  
**

**Chapter 15**

**Dead on Arrival**

**Or**

**The Lesser of Two Evils**

It may have been hours that passed, or just a few short seconds. Time ceased to have any meaning to my haggard soul. Suddenly, from the cold, numbness a sharp light struck my face. I became aware my head was against something smooth and cold. My knees were pulled to my chest with my arms cinched around them as if I might fall apart if I let go. Even when a shadow approached, cutting off the violent glow, I held tight reflexively. I was dead already my body wasn't ready to register it yet.

Something cold slid over my chin. On some level I knew they were fingers and that I should probably be afraid of their touch. I just couldn't find it in myself to care. After seeing _him _so cold and every bit the monster he had warned was the final nail. I couldn't tell if my eyes were open any more, but I could feel the tears begin to drip from the corners. I was a stupid, stupid girl for ever pretending I could live inside a fairy tale. There was no longer any will of any kind. I embraced the cold of that touch, just hoping it would be over quickly.

"Bella," I heard my name being called from far away.

It was not the voice I both loved and feared. It was hard and graveled and too perfectly toned to be human. I didn't recognize it but hearing my name seemed to snap me out of the complete shutdown I'd been in. It was slow, but eventually I blinked slowly and a face swam before my dizzy eyes, a face with gleaming red eyes.

Before I could focus on him, he ducked forward and inhaled down the length of my neck. A shiver shot through me, but I only clutched tighter to my knees, clenching my eyes closed again. I didn't have to watch. I wouldn't.

"Relax," came a soft voice right in my ear. "I don't want to eat you."

He pulled back and laughed loudly like he'd just told me a joke.

I only held tighter.

There was a deep growl. It was soft, but I heard it as he was so close. I could smell his scent clearly now. Like the Cullens, it was intoxicating. I may have inhaled deeply, reveling in the spicy musk smell of him, but my body tensed even tighter.

"Do you know where you are?" he asked lightly. Like this was any old conversation. Like I wasn't tremoring on the ground in terror of my imminent demise.

I tried to shake my head. Sharp pain shot from my temple where it rested against the ground. Just as I realized I must have hit my head when I fainted, a bitter copper taste swirled through my mouth and I gagged.

Even if I had no desire to ever move again, not to mention have thisparticular _human moment_ in front of a vampire, my body convulsed and pushed shakily off the ground to vomit.

Dizzy and bleeding and nauseous, I turned back to ground with a tired glance. "I don't feel so good."

Moving slowly and only enough so as not to lie in the meager contents of my stomach, I lowered my face back to the smooth surface of the stone. The vampire muttered something with obvious disgust, but I didn't bother to listen. My ears were ringing, and in spite of the sharp scent of bile now coating my senses, I could still taste and smell my blood. I truly felt ill.

Half-conscious, I felt my body rise. Instead of the coiled ball it'd been earlier, it was now limp. Numbness was gone and I felt each creak and bend of agony in my bones. I don't think there had ever been a moment in my life I had more consciousness over myself. And still, even as my heavy lidded eyes glimpsed flashes of movement and cold marble arms held me against an unfamiliar chest, I was unwilling to care.

All I could see was Edward, eyes red, words slashing. I wanted to think it was a dream, like the one at the cabin, but I couldn't delude myself. Whatever it was, _was_ Edward. I had no idea what had happened in the amount of time since he'd left me, but it had done terrible things to him, things I didn't even want to imagine. Those red eyes told me more than I wanted to know.

Still, I couldn't deny there was a part of me – and I didn't want to admit how big that part was – that couldn't believe that was the same man I knew. How could it be the same Edward I had fallen in love with?

But how could it _not_ be?

The next thing I was really aware of was being placed in a chair, not harshly, but it still felt like being dumped. My head lolled to the side. The vampire stayed next to me and placed a hand on my shoulder as if to keep me upright. I let my eyes flutter open.

I first noticed the dull gray of the stone floor. I concentrated on the smooth grooves, worn by a thousand footsteps, until they sharpened and I felt the haze lift a bit from my head. I still felt clammy and sweat was beading around my hairline, but I was able to lift my head and look at my surroundings.

I gasped. Not sure what I was expecting, the massive chamber I found myself was a million miles away from anything I could have imagined. It was medieval in structure, relying on simple arches to dome the ceiling high above. Everything was constructed from the smooth stones that I'd noticed on the floor. There were no windows but some kind of ambient light that lit the ceiling and area I sat, but left the rest of the room in shadow. It only seemed to add the magnitude of the feeling.

I took in the room before my eyes began to adjust a bit and I noticed I was not alone with the vampire at my side. In fact, he was staring straight ahead; looking in that direction I saw them. Set on a dais raised above the rest of the room were three stone thrones, and perched in each seat were three silent and ominous figures.

I had time to look at them, two with long dark hair – one that looked impassive and one that was leaning forward in his seat – and the other with pale white hair. He sat with his fingers poised in a pyramid beneath his chin, but none moved at all. Their pale skin was almost luminescent even in the shadows and the long black cloaks they wore made them seem even more statuesque. It was vaguely familiar, somewhere in my mind.

"Where is Valentine?" the vampire that had brought me here questioned, breaking the quiet.

The figure in the middle chair moved. It happened so fast, I barely registered the statue come to life until he was standing a few feet from me. His eyes stared into me, even as he answered, even as I pressed my back into the hard chair, moving as far as possible from the milky red glare.

"He's been detained," was the smooth answer. It seemed too sweet coming from the monster staring me down. Excitement bounced in those crimson depths, causing the clouds to stir and roil. Simply stating I was scared of this vampire would be an understatement, to say the least.

My heart thudded in my throat, bringing back the foul taste of bile. My ears pounded in tandem as reality seemed to flicker in and out and the vampire reached a white hand toward me. It looked frail, like dry timber or fallen leaves, but every fiber of my being cringed away from that touch.

"Aro!" a loud voice broke through the winding tension, pulling those hungry eyes away from me. "You were to wait to bring the girl here until I was ready." His anger was apparent, but I was sick that for an instant I thought I'd be saved only to find savior with the face of this demon.

"Ah, Valentine," Aro spoke nonplussed at getting his hand caught in the cookie jar. "We just wanted a chance to get to know her a bit before you put us through the imminent negotiations."

"Indeed," Valentine snorted and in an instant was positioned on the side opposite the vampire still holding onto my shoulder. "I can offer you what you want above all others, but what are you willing to do for that power?"

I could hear the smile in Valentine's voice as he laid his intentions on the table for the vampire staring him down. I hadn't expected him to be so forward, but at his point, I was done trying to puzzle out my fate. I just knew I was at an end. The only question would be how painful it was going to be.

It only surprised me a little that Aro's face fell into a smile. Strangely, it looked like the emotion belonged to him. As contorting and angled the curve of his lips was it seemed natural to see it upon his countenance.

"You are not the one to offer anything," he said to Valentine.

Aro flicked his eyes to mine, then turned around suddenly. He addressed the other two figures still sitting unmoving on their thrones. "Do you hear him, brothers?" Aro said in an almost cheerful voice. "He thinks he has a bargaining chip with this sweet smelling human."

He spun back around and was on me, running his nose against my jaw line similar to the way the other vampire had earlier. I trembled under the abrupt closeness. Valentine's hand was suddenly on my shoulder, warmth pressing into my flesh conflicting with the cold stone of the other one's hold.

"But as delicious as you smell, my dear," he said, pulling back from me with a wink, "I have had better."

He turned his attention back to Valentine, ignoring the fact he'd just struck a blow.

"You have nothing for us, shadowhunter. Take your girl and be gone."

"Wait," interrupted one of the figures behind Aro. I blinked my eyes and the blonde man was now next to Aro. I had to get used to how quickly they moved. They cared less I was watching. "You can't let him just walk out of here! Aro, have you lost your mind?"

"Ah yes, your _law_," Valentine sneered. "We've broken it haven't we?" He chuckled loudly, amusement radiating from him. The grip on my shoulder tightened even more. I knew tomorrow there'd be a palm shaped bruise on both shoulders from the grips of the men.

If there would be a tomorrow for me.

Valentine continued with an outright mocking tone. I was a little stunned at his brashness. "Of course, _you_ would remember that, Caius," he sneered. "We might have forgotten otherwise. But now confronted with this slip, what shall we do?"

He stepped away from me, and began pacing. The vampire brothers actually moved away to give him room as he thought. "We certainly can't let a human leave here knowing what she knows, that's obvious. But, she is more than just some mundane girl you've revealed yourselves to." Valentine's voice dropped into a conspiratorial whisper. "_She is the key to everything you desire_."

Neither Aro nor Caius made any kind of reaction to Valentine who turned to me once more. His mouth curled into a hideous leer that looked absolutely demonic. Aro's smile had been a thousand times more natural than the look that nearly split his elegant cheekbones in half. I could do nothing but watch as he stalked closer, only stopping directly in front of me.

"This is ridiculous!" Caius finally spat, coming back to himself a bit and breaking the uneasy feeling flooding the chamber.

"Wait, friends," Valentine said calmly, eyes still blazing into mine.

Finally, he looked back at the shrouded vampires. He moved back to them and lifted his arm. It looked like any formal handshake, at first. The tension between them was still heavy, but Aro reached forward immediately and latched on to the proffered hand. Quiet descended again, reminding me how incredibly small I was, a pawn, in all this. My thundering heartbeat resolved that over and over as I watched the men in front of me in a masochist trance.

At first, Aro was stone faced, but slowly, I saw something begin to burn in his eyes. It was small at first, barely a shimmer amidst the ghostly crimson eyes. They flashed to me for an instant, then back to Valentine. Rapture dawned on the vampire's face like a sunrise on First Beach. It was slow but lightened gradually and completely, until a content and sure smile slid over his thin ruby lips. I saw just the hint of perfect white beneath the emotion before snapping back to the situation playing out in front of me.

Fear crept over me as slowly as Aro pulled his hand back to his side. This time when those eyes touched mine, they touched me to the bone, sending a chill racing straight through my shaking body.

"Brothers," he said lightly and before I could blink, he was joined by the last of his trio.

Without further comment he took both his brothers' hands and fell into the same strange ritual he'd just completed with Valentine. Together they stood absorbed as he relayed whatever he had learned from Valentine through his touch. It was odd, but I knew I was witnessing the power of mind reading on a level I had never known.

After a long, drawn moment, Caius' lips turned into a sneer. The brothers dropped hands and leaned from each other slightly, assessing what they now knew.

"This is nonsense, brother," Caius hissed focused solely on Aro whose smile was just as enthused as it had been since touching Valentine.

"Nonsense?" Aro shot back with a raised brow. "You know as well as I that having them with us will make us invincible!"

"What makes you think he even tells the truth?" Caius snarled and set his own milky red stare on Valentine, glaring at him through narrow slits. "How can we trust anything he says? He's betrayed us before."

Aro chuckled and moved between the suspicious gaze of his brother and the tall shadowhunter standing poised at my right side. "Caius is right. We have no reason to trust you after what happened in Alicante. Our minds remember the lies of your past, Valentine."

Aro's long black cloak slid across the cobbled floor. My eyes watched as a speck of dust spiraled upward by the draft the robe created. He was leaning closer to Valentine and turning the air around us into a thick cold soup that froze in my lungs. I wanted to choke, but held the air in my lungs instead. I was afraid that if I exhaled I'd throw up. Again.

"But, if you do tell the truth," he went on, a new intensity infiltrating his tone, "you are offering what I have desired most for half a century.

"Are you telling the truth?" Aro's eyes burned into Valentine's. The shadowhunter never flinched, but met the intensity head on. Electricity seemed to charge the air around them, only serving to chill me more. Shivers broke out on my skin in an array of goosebumps that bubbled over my entire body. The vampire on my left tensed a bit, perhaps tasting the fear spurning off me.

"Ask her," was Valentine's smooth response. There was no malicious undertone to it, as if he was just stating simple fact.

Immediately, those strange eyes were back on me and Aro was bending over me. He was too close. Unlike other vampires, he didn't smell pleasant at all. My flesh crawled trying to distance myself, but there was nowhere to go. I had no choice but to stare into the milky center of those hideous and ancient eyes.

"May I?" was all he said, but his hand was against mine without waiting for consent.

The chill settled deeper, but I watched him, waiting for whatever he would do. Nothing happened. My heart thundered on, after stuttering from the initial contact and gradually, the wicked glint in Aro's face fell away. It was replaced by an obvious surprise.

"Ho, ho!" he chuckled and backed away. Those eyes never left mine. "This is an interesting twist!"

Aro seemed genuinely pleased by whatever it was he did or didn't see when he touched my arm. I had no idea what to think. I had no idea what my place was in this mess or how I'd gotten involved in the first place. In the end, I suppose it all went back to Edward. If not for him, I certainly wouldn't have ever found myself in the situation I now faced. Of course, I would have died that day when Tyler's van slid toward me if not for him.

But in the end, taking in all the bad that had come with meeting him, I would never go back and change anything. Not one single moment that we'd had, no matter how short lived or menial it had been. Those were the fiber of everything I was and I'd never give it up.

I'd spent so much time trying to repress my memories of him, desperately needing to feel him but afraid of the consequences to my psyche when I did. It had been a battle raging in my mind since that day in the woods. Suddenly, I felt I could release it and just let it be. I was not in love with the Edward who had appeared earlier. Whether he was real or imagined, _that _Edwardwas not the creator of my best and most cherished memories. That love was true and real. It may be gone, but it _had _existed, just as that good and beautiful Edward existed somewhere, even if it was inside the monster that had taunted me earlier.

With a slightly comforted mind, I focused back on Aro, who had taken over Valentine's pacing. But Aro glided over the floor as if he was floating above it, not walking upon it.

"What I do not understand, is why offer this for something so obscure?" The vampire seemed to be thinking aloud more than addressing anyone in particular. "The Black Book is blank. Why would you risk coming to us for something completely useless?"

From the corner of my eye, I saw that Valentine didn't move an inch, staying as stoic as the vampires in the room. His hand clenched my shoulder again, but this time I think it was in reaction to this book and not what Aro was saying. From that slight increase in pressure I could tell Valentine wanted that book very badly.

"Who's to ensure they'll even come?" Caius hissed from over Aro's shoulder.

Valentine's face contorted into that demented smile again. "Oh," he said in a confident voice, "_they'll come_."

They were silent for a moment, thinking.

"You know what you will do already, brother," a flat voice broke through. It was a new voice, the voice of the third and thus far quiet brother. I looked at his face, dark hair curtaining pale flesh and prominent crimson eyes with the same cloudy tinge as the others. He looked absolutely disengaged, bored, really. It seemed so complacent considering life was at stake.

Then, I remembered I what I was dealing with. I wasn't sure of their exact place in this mysterious world, but these brothers were powerful. That much was obvious. Even more, that deep red glare in each of their eyes told me these were by no means the good guys.

"Felix," Aro said suddenly. The vampire next to me seemed to straighten, though he had been standing impossibly straight before. "Get the book Valentine desires."

In a flash the vampire was gone along with the tenuous hold on my shoulder. Without the pressure of him, I could feel tremors running through my body. It was uncontrollable. Aro shot a smile in my direction. I think it was meant in comfort, but it felt possessive, heavy and ominous. I had no idea what was happening, but I was pretty sure Valentine was about to leave me with these monsters. I almost felt he was the lesser of two evils. He was human at least. But thinking of Clary and Jace and all the powers they yielded gave me pause. Valentine was eccentric and mad. Something told me the last thing anyone needed was his hands on this book. I had a very bad feeling about it.

"And the wolf?" Caius' silky voice slithered through my thoughts.

Valentine laughed humorlessly just as Felix strode back into the room with a small black book clutched in one hand. The binding and spine were cracked and some of the pages stuck out at odd angles. It looked yellowed with age, but seemed nondescript, otherwise. Still, I knew it was important, so I tried to study its size and shape and commit it to memory. There was probably no need, but I did it anyway.

Valentine's eyes widened when he saw it, but kept laughing. Aro nodded to Felix and an instant later the book was being held out between them unceremoniously. Before I could even grasp what was happening, the hand Valentine had on my shoulder was gone and grabbing the book from the large vampire across from him. The hungry glint in the shadowhunter's eye when Felix released it rivaled that of any vampire. Immediately, he brought the book to his chest, holding it tightly with both hands until his knuckles started to turn white. His body relaxed as he exhaled loudly.

A moment later, he gave Aro and the brothers a sharp nod. "Consider the wolf a gift," he said to them with a light voice. "Gentlemen, it's been a pleasure."

With nothing else, Valentine turned and headed away, being swallowed by the darkness. A few heartbeats later I heard the telltale sound of a door clanging shut somewhere far across the room. I stared in the direction he had gone, blinking dumbly, wondering where this left me. Slowly, I let my eyes fall back to the vampires. Three sets of those eerie crimson eyes were staring, reminding me exactly where.

I heard a commotion from another part of the huge chamber, just as Felix asked with crude humor, "Shall we keep her for dinner?"

Aro smiled again. "No. Her purpose has not yet been served. Please escort our young Bella to her new accommodations."

Felix nodded and I found my hand in his as he half-dragged my wobbly legs off the chair.

"Oh," Aro called out as we started exiting. His voice had a singsong quality to it, like he was reciting a rhyme. "I don't think the chains will be necessary this time, will they, Bella?"

My eyes looked over my shoulder even though Felix hadn't stopped leading me away. An echo of voices began to roll over the chamber. I heard women and children, old men in a slew of languages I didn't recognize. I picked Aro out, barely discernable in the gloom as we drew further away from his throne. He was still watching me, eyes intent on mine as he assessed whatever he was seeing.

We were out of the chamber before I had time to formulate a response.

Seconds later the screaming began.

**A/N: So, my humblest apologies for the delay, but I did warn you. I hope this makes up for it a little. Working on the next already...but I've rewritten chapter 15 at least 6 times before I finally got to this one, so no promises on the next. I know, its still not an excuse. **

**I don't deserve them, but I'd still love some reviews.**

**P.S. Anyone else hear that City of Bones is going to be made into a movie? Anyone else just _dying _to know who'll play Jace? I really hope the rumors are true!! ;)**


	16. Chapter 16

**The characters are the property of SMeyer and CClare. Twisting the two stories together? All mine.**

**Chapter 16**

**Last Hope**

**Or**

**New Chances**

At first, she wasn't sure if she planned on hugging the werewolf or slapping her across the face; she just knew she needed to face it on her own. Simon would only irritate her further and Jace would undoubtedly mock the entire situation, or at the very least, stop her from pummeling Maia as thoroughly as she deserved.

Clary slapped on a smile, hoping the werewolf couldn't see how forced it was. By the way one dark eyebrow shot up, Clary knew she wasn't fooling anyone, least of all herself. The smile faded as quickly as it came.

"Long time no see," Clary said in a measured voice.

The girls studied each other warily. Maia didn't seem thrilled to see Clary, either. Her muscles quivered a little in the awkwardness.

"Yeah, about that-" Maia began, but Clary cut her off.

"Look, I'm not mad." She caught the disbelief in Maia's almond colored eyes. "At you," she quickly amended, "I wanted you to know I'm not mad at you, but you will not believe the crap I've had to deal with."

Awkwardness spilled over Clary, but Maia's full lips curled upward.

"Yeah, I heard about the _hospital_."

The way she said the last word made it seem worse than saying loony bin or insane asylum. Clary couldn't help but laugh. And that was enough. It would be a tentative truce, but at least there'd be hope. Clary couldn't help but think that Maia might become a fixture in her new life and Simon at least deserved the courtesy of her making an effort.

An hour later, all friendly feelings had worn off to be replaced by mutual irritation and general fatigue.

"I know it was north of here," Clary mumbled, looking left and right, trying to remember which trees she'd passed on her way into town.

"We should have followed the road," Maia reminded her for the twentieth time.

Clary fought the urge to tell her to shut up. It just didn't seem like a good time to provoke the wolf girl. As it was, Maia was already bristling on the rock she'd taken temporary residence. Anyway, Clary was just mad at herself for getting them lost. There had to be a rune to help point the direction, but she hadn't learned it yet.

The sky had turned gray and swirling above them. It seemed like nature was pulling in all its excess energy, readying to let hell loose on the mountainside. They had to find the cabin before the storm hit. Just as she decided she could try to draw her own rune, Simon burst through the underbrush, stopping a hairsbreadth from Clary. His coal black eyes met hers and he snarled. Maia jumped to her feet.

"So, here you are," he said in an irritated tone. Clary made ready to spit off a rude remark of her own, but Simon tilted his head to the right and shouted out before she had the chance.

"Jace!"

Her eyes narrowed on the vampire. "Jace is with you?"

He didn't have the chance to speak, as her brother sprinted though the trees, body lithely twisting out of reach from gnarled branches and over fallen trunks. His superior athleticism was incomparable and Clary's eyes watched the ease of his movements like he was the only person that existed in that moment.

Simon moved swiftly to Maia and wrapped his hand in hers, muttering "I didn't bring him," quietly and pulling away her focus. She turned to shoot daggers in his direction, but Jace was on her. He smelled of soap and sweat and morning dew. She couldn't help but lean closer.

"What were you thinking, going off on your own?" he roared. Clary had to take a step back from the force of it. He pushed completely into her personal space. She was ashamed that she liked having him there, his chest nearly touching hers

"I can walk down a mountain on my own," she spat back despite the warm electricity making her a bit fuzzy. Maia remained mercifully silent and didn't expose the lie, but she was sure Jace could see it on her face.

An angry crimson flush sprouted from the neck of his dark clothing, as he geared up to reprimand her again. Clary clenched her fists into tight balls.

"What's that smell?" Maia suddenly asked, breaking the tension before it got worse.

The other three glanced at her and inhaled deeply.

Simon was the first to answer. "Smells like sulfur."

Together, Jace and Clary whispered, "Demons!" like it was a curse.

They all shot off at the same instant. Jace was still angry. Clary could see it in the smooth lines of his face, but he was intent and focused. She was sure he'd have something to say about this later, but for now, she'd been saved the lecture as he fell into his role as shadowhunter.

He was much faster than Clary would ever hope to be, but he slowed his pace so she could keep up with his powerful legs. Maia ran seamlessly next to then, half changed into her wolf form with long hairy ears and thick brown fur covering her hands. A mop of springy curls bounced with her movements. Clary thought she looked much younger with her hair unbraided. Her hard steps thudded against the forest floor as she charged, using twice as much effort as Jace but breathing just as smooth. Her hand remained tightly linked with Simon's.

The scent became thick and even more pungent as the odd quartet approached the cabin. Jace slid two swords from his belt. He named them reverently and tossed one to Clary. She stumbled as the hilt fell into her open hand, but Maia was there to grab her elbow and balance her without missing a step. Jace was already naming the third, smaller rapier, and it glowed to life with a soft glow.

He kept his eyes ahead and Clary realized he wasn't going to look at her, wasn't going to yell again, or give any last minute instruction. He wouldn't want her involved, but didn't have a choice this time. It would take all of them to overtake the storm of evil that seemed to be brewing on the mountainside. He couldn't stop her this time. Clary let a smile of satisfaction slide in. She'd proven herself before and wanted to do it again, wanting nothing more than Jace's approval.

The grin fell right back off when they made it into the clearing. The wind howled, pulling Clary's red hair out from her sticky neck. The others paused at the same moment, gaping at the destruction. Aside from the acrid smell of demons, they could smell burned hair and rank fish, but the sky was clearing some. The lake shone a brilliant red. The setting sun peeked through thinning clouds and cast an eerie shadow over the hillside. The freak storm, a mass of pure blackness, swirled above the treetops as it blew quickly to the east.

The reddish tint of light and dark made the scene haunting. The little cabin was barely standing, roof caved in, and there was hardly more than a skeleton of timber holding the shape of what had been there before. The ancient toilet lay cracked a few yards away and wooden shingles and support beams were scattered everywhere, even in the pulsing waves of the lake. The air hummed with electricity. Clary began to panic.

"Where is everyone?" Maia whispered from behind.

Clary couldn't wait for anyone to answer. She began running again, even though her muscles ached and tried to stop her. She had to find Bella.

She slowed down before entering what was left of the cabin. There wasn't even a door, just an old weathered step up into what had been a standing structure when she'd left earlier. Clary was calling Bella's name over and over. Tears budded at the corners of her stinging eyes and she reached out, throwing rubble out of her way as she tried to move into the destroyed cabin. Slivers pierced into her palms and the panic began to blur her vision, but Jace was there, helping her search amidst the wreckage.

But it was hopeless. Clary knew no mortal girl could survive this. So far flung were the pieces, it looked like a tornado touched down. She was sobbing full on now, wishing Jace wasn't close enough to hear it, but not strong enough to stop. Her mind pictured Bella: so small, so thin and wrecked by her own mind. There was no way she could have survived this.

A cool pair of hands touched her back, but the voice that called her softly was not the one she wanted to hear. Knowing it was Simon only made Clary cry harder in shame; shame over leaving Bella here alone, over not being able to love her best friend enough and loving her brother too much. She turned and threw her arms around the vampire, hiding her eyes in the soft cotton of his standard black t-shirt. His arms wrapped her in their familiar embrace. Then he glanced at Maia. Her eyes told him she understood and he was doing the right thing and she was good enough to look away.

Clary could feel Simon's restraint. She was still the best friend who he'd confessed his love for just a few months ago. She was the same best friend he'd loved for years. He'd been so sure she would have felt it, too. If fate hadn't stepped in the way.

Fate, at that moment, was standing a bit behind Maia watching the embrace. The look on his face was one that Jace tried to hide most of the time, the one that was just as confused as the rest of them. However minutely, it made Simon feel better. Just because he thought he was perfect most of the time, didn't mean he was, and as far as the matters of the heart, Jace was hopelessly clueless.

Simon's hands gently ran through Clary's soft hair, touching the bright glints of red that caught the fading sunlight. He was realizing what he wanted from this girl. More than anything, he wanted to see her happy, happy the way she used to be when fairy tales were still fairy tales and none of this existed for them.

He looked back to Jace, resolve settling deep in his chest even as his shoulders fell under the sick acknowledgement.

He loved her enough. Why was it pitted against them, too?

Simon looked for Maia again. He wasn't sure what it was between them, but it was nice. Different, to be sure, but comfortable once they got past all those instinctual species biases. He caught her standing a little ways off, focused to a spot near the trembling waves of the lake. Her shoulders rose slightly. She was sniffing at the air.

Simon craned his neck and inhaled tentatively. The movement brought Clary's face from his shoulder and her eyes searched his in wonder. Just then, Jace started sprinting for the area Simon and Maia were staring.

Pushing away quickly, Simon grabbed Clary's hand and tugged her forward just as Maia started to move on their left. Jace leaped gracefully and purposefully over the debris strewn ground, reaching a pile of shredded timber well ahead of the others. He was already on his knees, throwing the wood off. One piece smashed right into Simon's chest as they ran, but it splintered off his dead skin. A snarl began in the vampire's throat but it was choked off as he gaped at the ground.

Ducking around Simon's shoulder, Clary peered at the place where Jace was kneeling. She saw the russet and black that was too soft to be the remnants of the destroyed cabin. She threw herself next to Jace, scrambling with him to uncover Bella's friend from the wreckage. Her mind was screaming. The werewolf wasn't moving, wasn't breathing. What if Bella was further underneath this? What chance would she have?

When Jacob's sculpted torso was mostly uncovered, Jace and Simon grabbed the huge man-boy beneath his arms and pulled him from the mess. They dragged him a few feet away, but Clary moved back into position and continued to dig through the rubble. She had to find Bella.

Clary scrambled over the pile until she heard Jacob groan.

"She's gone," he said, voice low and pained.

"What happened?" Jace asked him, bending low and blocking the werewolf from Clary's sight. The urgency of his question sent shivers racing down Clary's spine.

Before Bella's friend had the chance to say anything, Maia shot a finger out and pointed into the trees about 30 feet away from them.

"What is that?" Simon asked.

Clary's eyes shifted in the direction they looked. Maia had been more perceptive than any of them today. Jace cursed beneath his breath and was back on his feet a heartbeat later. Once again, he was sprinting full force toward a light blue glow coming from inside the trees. Search forgotten, Clary stood and watched him bound through the trees and disappear in the gloom just as the light snapped off.

***

ED POV:

The so-called warlock turned away from us to survey the damage along the hillside. Limbs and even some small trees were spread everywhere like a child's game of pick-up sticks. The remains of the cabin only aggravated the disaster.

He hmmed softly and Alice turned an exasperated look in my direction.

"Who are you?" Jasper snarled. With my emotions firing out of control, he was on edge. Alice placed a steady hand against his chest, instantly dulling her husband's rising agitation.

"What's happening?" She asked trying to soothe Jasper's harshness.

The man turned back and eyed her through narrowed lids, yellow irises flashing wickedly. His mind was strange and hard to decipher. Mostly, it was color, bursting like a psychedelic mind trip with the same vibrant intensity. It was impossible to ignore, though the fluidity was dizzying.

As I watched, his pupils dilated like a cat's eyes, glowing slightly in the subdued light. "How did you get involved with this if you have no idea what's happened?"

"Bel…" I choked on her name, sharing my grief openly with slumped shoulders and downturned eyes. It was a miracle I still had the strength to stand. The only reason I was trying is because he said he could help. If there was any chance, I'd listen.

The warlock glanced up into the dissipating cloud cover. "The girl?" he wondered. His black hair outlined his head in a dark jagged halo. Finally, he looked at me. "I don't know why Valentine targeted your…_friend_, but if we hurry, I can follow them."

I was on edge, ready to go that instant. Picking up on my need to move, Jasper took a step toward the mohawked man.

"We're not going anywhere until we find out who you are and how you know what you do."

This was Jasper at his strongest. He stepped back into his previous militant life of deception and interrogation seamlessly, as if the last century hadn't happened. The sudden rush of authority caused the warlock to move his narrow eyes to him.

"I am here as a favor to Lucian. I owe nothing to you."

Jasper shot a quick look to Alice who shrugged. She wasn't seeing anything and didn't know if the warlock would take us to Bella. The insanity inside his head didn't give me a clue, either. It could very well be a trap. I realized that all of us were poised and ready for any attack, including the warlock, who now added a suspicious gleam in his eyes.

"Where is he? Lucian?" He asked quietly.

The three of us ran the name over until we realized he meant the werewolf, Luke. "Valentine," Alice replied for all of us.

"There's no time to waste, then."

Immediately, he stalked into the trees, stopping once he was well beneath the canopy. We followed tentatively, not letting our guard down for an instant. The warlock began to wave his hands slowly in the air and let his eyes fluttered closed. Jasper, Alice and I shared a glance. His mind was a frenzy now, spiraling one color into the next. I saw a million colors I had no name for. I'd never seen them. Then, a series of symbols danced inside the patterns, flashing quickly. A blue light began to glow beneath his fingers.

As we watched, the light grew larger, pulsing and flickering in time with the images dancing in his mind. It was the strangest thing my eyes had ever seen. The light was soft but still had enough glare radiating that we had to squint as it grew. Stranger still, it lit nothing but the little contained oval of swirling mist. We stood gaping from the darkening shadows, a hazy blue glinting in our eyes.

"I haven't tried to do this with so many bodies, so please," the warlock nodded his head to the blue light. His arms were spread wide and I could sense the vibration rolling through his body, though nothing but the dim light emanated from the glowing orb. His mind concentrated solely on the light, holding it in place. He would not be able to hold it for long.

"Hurry," he prompted again, voice low and strained under his concentration.

I didn't wait for Jasper and Alice. If this was my only chance to get to Bella and I would do whatever it would take to find her. Yes, this might be a huge mistake, but I only thought of her, relying on faith alone to guide my wretched soul as I leaped into the light.

***

BPOV:

If I had any idea what was going on, it might have been easier to sit in that dark room with the hard mattress and thin blanket. Of course, it might have been worse, but the anticipation of what would come next was slowly driving me crazy. I sat huddled in a corner, arms tightly wrapped back around my knees as the cold hard floor of my room numbed everything from the waist down. I tried not to think about the pain that would shoot through them when I finally had to move, but considering all the other things I had to dwell on, pins and needles was at the bottom of the list.

A tray with stale bread and butter sat completely untouched on the opposite side of the room. My stomach had stopped growling long ago, but the empty ache was still insistent, irritating my insides like a mosquito on a summer night. I was hungry. I just couldn't bring myself to move.

The detachment that threatened since the day Edward walked away from me had finally taken hold and I was at complete physical and emotional standstill. I don't know how long I sat there on the cold hard stone.

Long enough to pretend to forget why I was there and what lingered just outside the old wooden door.

Long enough to imagine I could forget all of it.

It was from that bleak nothingness I was again yanked by a brilliant light flooding over my closed eyelids. This time I didn't fight it and opened them immediately. Another shadow lingered in the doorway. As the dark cloaked figure approached, his crimson eyes were familiar and I realized it was Felix.

He stared at me with a look that almost resembled pity, but that strange tint to his eyes kept the emotion from solidifying. I glared back hard, desperately trying to choke my fear away.

"It's wrong not to offer any options," he said in a quiet voice. It was gentle, the opposite of his imposing stance.

With three quick steps he was directly in front of me and dropped low so he was right in my face. The sudden closeness caught me off guard. I released my arms from around my knees and pressed into the wall. My lower half immediately began to tingle as the blood started pushing into my extremities. Felix grinned. I might have thought he was teasing me, except that partially pained look still simmered inside his eyes.

"For your sake, I hope they come for you," he spoke again. His cold hand caressed my cheek as he had earlier. Then, he paused, eyes blazing while I sat unflinchingly caught in his stare.

"I'd hate that you must go through this alone."

He moved fast; I didn't even see his head duck into the crook of my neck. I did feel the sting of his teeth as the sliced easily through the delicate skin below my ear. I cried out, reaching my hands to his shoulders, trying in vain to scratch and push at his marble skin. This was all wrong. So wrong!

My resistance lasted only a few short moments though. As the pounding of my heart slowed, my strength slid away until I was nothing more than a doll, hanging limply in his arms.

I don't know when he moved away, leaving me alone again. I just know the uncomfortable sensation I'd anticipated when my legs came back to life was shuddered away as the burning set fire to my body. It was a thousand times more intense than the bite James had given me in Phoenix and this time, there was no one there to stop it as it began to boil my insides into stone.

There was no darkness to escape into, only that raw, stinging blaze. I felt it blackening my veins as Felix's venom travelled through my body, infecting me inch by inch. By the time it reached my heart, the only thing I could do was scream.

**A/N: Big thanks to everyone who's still here and all the new readers. I'm on a roll with this one, so keep sending me that good mojo (and maybe a review) and hopefully I can keep the momentum.**


	17. Chapter 17

**Characters belong to SMeyer and CClare, respectively.**

**Chapter 17**

**When the Past Comes Calling**

**Or**

**Raising Hell**

His first reaction had been to ignore the nurse paging him over the intercom and now he wished he had. Her voice was monotone as she announced the phone call, giving him no indication what was waiting for him to pick up the receiver.

Under normal circumstances, it would have been strange for someone to contact him at work. He even glanced down at his cell phone wondering if he'd missed a call. If life hadn't been so completely out of control, Carlisle might have just gone home. Esme was waiting. It was hard for her to let him out the front door with everything that had happened recently. The whole family's existence had been turned on its head since Bella's disappearance. Having Jasper, Alice and Edward tracking her, left the rest of them feeling anxious as they waited for any news. There hadn't been word for days.

For that reason, Carlisle hesitated at the exit, listening to the woman say his name beneath the rumble of white noise that was always the background symphony of the hospital. He turned around and headed back down the hallway to the nearest station with a phone.

Hearing that voice again brought back memories Carlisle thought he'd left in the past. It was enough to make his venom turn to ice in his veins and a hum of caution ring through his mind. Aro's voice greeted him like a long lost friend, though Carlisle wouldn't say there was ever anything _friendly_ between them. There had been a mutual tolerance bordering on respect, but was that was as far as their affable feelings had evolved. Furthermore, Carlisle hadn't spoken with the ancient vampire since well before the American Civil War when he had migrated from the old countries west. Hearing the easy and calm voice from centuries past put the normally cool Carlisle on edge immediately.

"Ah, Carlisle," the voice dripped sweetly across the line. "It has been too long, old friend."

"Aro?" Carlisle nearly choked the name as recognition sank to his gut like a weight.

The older vampire exhaled a happy snort. "You weren't expecting to hear from me," he stated. "No matter, we have things to discuss, dear Carlisle, questions to answer."

Carlisle inhaled slowly, fighting back the dread spurning from his stomach. "What questions, Lord Aro?"

Aro cleared his throat unnecessarily, as if feeling Carlisle's hesitancy from halfway around the world. "This you owe me," he reminded. As if he needed to. Carlisle remembered all too well what was _owed_.

"You owe it to all our kind, Carlisle," he went on, voice still friendly. "We have let your brash and infantile behavior go on long enough. You've had your foot into affairs where it has no business, thereby becoming a liability to us all. For that, your presence is required in Volterra immediately."

Carlisle let his face fall into his hand, then dragged it slowly as if to wipe away whatever emotion was etched in the marble.

"As you command," he replied, his voice a sigh of acceptance. He really had expected this someday. He knew his actions were monitored by the vampire royalty, but after this long it seemed moot to bring it up. And, given everything else his family had been dealing with as of late, the timing couldn't be less desirable.

"Fantastic," Aro commented, a perceptible excitement lacing his words. "We'll expect you and your coven present and accounted for three days hence."

"My coven!" That was a surprise, a horrible, frightening surprise. One he wasn't sure he could even make happen in only three days. He had no idea where half of them were.

Aro was delighted, sharing his chuckle again. Carlisle's compassion and loyalty had always been his greatest asset. Now, he sensed the head of the Volturi was trying to use that to his advantage. It made him wish he'd gone back to his office to receive the call. The nurse in the station was doing a terrible job of appearing disinterested, but Carlisle knew she was hanging on to every word.

"Oh yes," came the silky reply from thousands of miles away from where Carlisle stood in the little hospital in upstate New York. They'd been there since leaving Forks, but never quite settled the way they had been able to in the past. Without Edward, without Bella, there was only the façade of a family that none of them tried hard to keep in place anymore.

Aro was still speaking, his voice a low hiss through the receiver. "We expect the _entire_ Cullen Clan on Thursday.

"Until then."

It was many seconds later when Carlisle realized he was staring at the phone in his hand. He could see the look of shock mirrored in the nurse's eyes. Clearing his throat, Carlisle straightened his shoulders and tried to wipe away his emotions, smiling sweetly at the woman, hiding as he had for so many years.

"Bad news, Doctor?" she asked a little hesitantly.

Carlisle shook his head, as if to rattle out that serpentine voice. Without a proper goodbye, Carlisle was retreating back down the hallway. His cell phone was already in his hand to make the necessary arrangements to miss work. When asked how long he'd be out, Carlisle choked an indefinite answer before pushing against the glass of the exit.

He hadn't been back to Italy since the late eighteenth century, when during his last visit he openly disagreed with the Volturi way of life, admonished it as sin. He hadn't pointed his finger at them or called them out by name, but he'd done enough. The habits of his human life were very slow to fade away. It was many years after his time in Volterra that Carlisle taught himself to worship God in his own way, on his own terms and to humble himself. Since then, he hadn't debated the merits of his way of life. He'd merely come to accept the differences between them, accept it as a part of who he was. That was his trial. It was God's way to test Carlisle's faith, and for three hundred and fifty years, he'd stayed steadfast in those beliefs, not even caving under the scandalized eyes of the powerful Volturi. He'd overcome the obstacles this existence presented and turned them to his favor, using his faith to better the lives of those he touched.

He gained the respect of his peers in both the vampire world, but also the human one. He'd worked hard to become what he was. He'd paid the price with years of solitude, then selfish regret and guilt, but in the end he'd moved on, strengthened and bettered from the effort.

Carlisle was the strong, proud leader of an unusually large coven of vampires. Under his guidance they had forged bonds deeper than most vampires experience outside the connection with their mates. It was work for all of them, a labor of love, but they did it. Not because they thought themselves better than anyone else, or stronger. They simply respected their leader, their father, and strived to follow his example. He was proud of his sons and daughters for everything they'd accomplished, for the many obstacles they'd overcome. Carlisle considered each of them his equals, and strove to make them see that _what _they are did not determine _who_.

It was these fierce emotions, the loyalty, respect, and love that made them a family and fueled Carlisle's desire to protect them, to shelter them from the deadly Italian coven. He knew he might be subjecting them to pain and disbelief and probably disappointment at the hands of the Volturi. Yet, there was no choice. They could not run; Aro's trackers would find them. His family was already stretched and broken. None of them would survive if their family shattered further.

The drive home was the worst fifteen minutes of Carlisle's long life, worse even than waiting for Edward to awake from the throes of change. He'd prayed at the bedside of his dying body until his hard knees locked in position and his mind throbbed from his focus. He dared not leave. Not to work. Not to feed. He only had one priority from the moment his lips pulled away from Edward's feverish neck, and that was the boy – his _son_ – thrashing and crying next to him. As Edward felt the pain of his death and rebirth, Carlisle prayed only that he would understand.

In the end, Edward had never truly accepted it. No matter how often Carlisle thought about it, debating with himself whether the impulse to act on Elizabeth Masen's request had been an actual desire to fulfill her last request or him finally giving into the call of blood, to the hope of companionship. What he'd gained the day Edward awoke was worth far more than any trivial piece of history and education he'd learned. But it was far more difficult than restraining from tasting human blood. But it was worth every minute.

Thoughts of his first faded as the brick manse began to appear through the foliage. Carlisle sighed an agonized breath, realizing he'd been holding it since hanging up the phone with Aro. He wiped his mind as best he could. It'd been an old habit, one he still maintained even when Edward wasn't at home. He turned the key, parking at the front steps instead of driving around to the garage.

He sat there, just staring into the closed windows of the house. An undefined emotion raced through him, pinching in his chest. It wasn't the house he grieved. It was everything precious that it represented.

Esme was already standing in the open door, a worried look on her face. Even changing one little thing, like pulling to the front of the house, and she knew something was wrong. Her honeyed eyes met his and watched as the broad shoulders slumped. If he had to face this, he knew he would not face it alone. His wife's lips gently smiled and Carlisle was filled with determined resolve and opened his door.

Esme was in his arms an instant later and he felt something twitter inside. It was the same every time he held her, but this time it calmed his fears, doused his worries and for a moment he just let himself feel that soft emotion that Esme created in him.

All too soon, he forced himself away from her soft curves and stared into her eyes, letting her search his. He told of the phone call and she understood immediately what it meant for them, for all of them. But she was strong where he was weak. The set of her shoulders, the quick nod of her head that turned her caramel hair into ribbons of blonde highlights, and Carlisle knew it would be okay.

She threaded her fingers into his and held tight. The gesture told him she was just as scared as he was, but she turned and led them into the house, softly calling for Rosalie and Emmett as she shut the door behind them.

Carlisle might have expected Jasper were home from the swirling calm that began to settle through him. Esme made him see this would be alright. As long as they were together – and they really had no other choice – they would be strong.

Emmett bounded down the stairs, followed closely by Rosalie moving much more delicately, but just as quickly. Carlisle looked into the eyes seeing them search for guidance. He was reluctant to take the role, knowing he could be leading them to their deaths. Esme tightened her hold on his hand. Instantly, the strength was back. How had he ever been strong before he had this amazing woman in his life?

After a gracious glance to his wife, Carlisle looked back to his children and told them everything.

**

It had all been much easier than he had anticipated. The way things knitted together to get him the end he desired. The stupid downworlders let him walk right out of their precious city with the means to destroy them, while they drooled over the mundane. It had almost been too easy, yet here he was, hiding in the same place he had to the past decade. The biding of his time was over. Now was the time to act.

He thumbed the worn cover of the Black Book, feeling the power the sheets contained. It was filled with the secrets of shadowhunters long forgotten. This book would show him the path to destroy the downworlders and take control while shoving his victory into the Clave's faces on his way to the top.

Valentine's lips curled into his inhuman sneer. Imagining the shock he'd put into the same smug faces that had prevented him from winning the last time around made him excited in a way he hadn't felt in ages. He'd been close when he thought gaining the Mortal Instruments would be his answer. When he found evidence that the Black Book was more than shadowhunter fairy tales, he put gaining access to the final instrument and focused his efforts on the book. It had obviously been the correct path, as he held the sacred text in his hands and still had no idea where the last mortal instrument was hidden.

The happiness actually produced a chuckle that growled lowly from his chest. Agramon shifted slightly and Valentine caught the swift movement in his peripheral. Demons were unpredictable at best, and Agramon was one of the most dangerous of Satan's legions. The sudden movement caused Valentine to turn to the misty demon and narrow his eyes.

Having tied his own fears to the depths of his mind, Valentine was perhaps the only man who'd ever see the demon as it truly was…or wasn't. Without fear to transform it, Agramon stayed in the ethereal and loose spiral of blackness. All but the red eyes. Those were constant no matter what shape it took. Even the stare of death and blood did not sway Valentine. He had seen much worse than this.

His face hardened. "Do you have something to say, demon?" he snarled at the eyes.

The mists congealed and bent enough to give the impression of a bow. Valentine was master of this demon of hell and the submissive gesture reinforced his power over it. The serpentine smile was slithering back over Valentine's face.

He looked away from the mists and back to precious treasure he held in his hands. With reverence, Valentine opened the worn cover. It gave easily and fell open as if it had been meant to fall open for his eyes alone. A tremor pulsed through him accompanied by a glimmer of anticipation. He would have them all falling to their knees.

But, as he flipped through the yellowed pages, the smile fell; his brow creased. Finally it was replaced by a raging anger that made even the submissive demon brace itself. Page after page was empty, ancient paper. He had thought there would be _something_. His anger started to boil below the surface of his drawn face.

When his eyes fell to the last page he saw a single rune was marked in the bottom left corner. He'd never seen anything like it before. Simple in stroke, it was a blend of sharp angles over soft curls. Valentine studied it silently for a moment, begging it speak to him from the ages and tell him its meaning. It was not lost to him that this would take more effort than he'd used thus far. But nothing comes without price. Finding the meaning of this rune would not be simple, but he would find it.

It would only be a matter of time.

Closing the book a bit more roughly than called for, Valentine swiped it off the table and tucked it into his long coat. Without further comment, he was gone from the room, the wraithlike mists of Agramon swirling in his wake.

**

The last twenty four hours had been very hard. It was obvious Esme was terrified and, though neither tried to show it for her sake, Rosalie and Emmett were almost as on edge as she was. Even once they had boarded the charter, none of them felt any sense of ease that at least they were on their way. Really there was nothing more they could do. They just had to be there, with or without the rest of their family and hope it would be enough.

Esme held Carlisle's hand with a fierceness that left it aching when he finally pulled away and into the cockpit to start the long flight Italy. Luckily, the little plane held enough fuel to reach their destination without any other stops. Instead, they had hour upon mind numbing hour to head straight into the unknown.

He found himself wishing to have spoken with Edward before boarding. More than a son, he was really Carlisle's best friend. He tried to treat all his adopted family with the same respect and adoration, but when it came to Edward, Carlisle harbored extra feelings. He was the first. They had been together for a long time before he'd even found Esme.

In fact, it had been Edward who had talked Carlisle out of tracking her down after she left his office when she was a teenager. Even then, there had been some pull, some undeniable desire to be with her, to have her in all ways, in every way. Edward had guided him through it, helped resist taking her just because he wanted her.

For that, he was so much more than a son to Carlisle. He wished Edward still understood that. He saw the same predicament capturing his son, and like he had advised me all those years ago, Edward was resisting what couldn't be resisted. God worked in mysterious ways indeed. Carlisle had witnessed it every day of his long life, especially since bringing Edward and then Esme into it. Even if it started for selfish and sinful reasons, having love in his life and sharing that love in return, Carlisle had felt God touch his life. It was only after he had Edward and Esme that Carlisle truly understood his faith and felt real purpose. He had thanked God every day since.

In the end, Carlisle wished Edward would have stayed in Forks. No one could understand what Bella was to him more than those around him. He just tried so hard to do what he thought was the right thing, what he thought Carlisle would do, despite his thoughts to the contrary. Not that he wanted her condemned to this life; he just knew they needed to be together. They all could see how right it was, even Rosalie despite her vehemence toward the poor girl. Fate and destiny were weaved into God's plan. He just couldn't make Edward accept that.

Now, none of them knew what happened to Bella. She had been missing for weeks, even with Edward, Jasper, and Alice tracking her. And, he hadn't been able to reach them, having to leave pressing messages on each of their voicemails telling of their flight plans and urging the others to be in contact as soon as possible. Everything about it felt wrong.

As the plane evened out at twenty thousand feet, Emmett joined Carlisle in the cockpit, slicing into Carlisle's tense thoughts. As always, the bear of a man wore a smile, though it was diluted some by the heaviness of what they faced. He said nothing to his father as he slid into the copilot's seat. Emmett's golden eyes focused on the clouds hovering below them. They were silent as the plane soared through the sky. Anything could happen in Volterra, but Emmett's presence at Carlisle's side eased some of the anguish. They followed because they loved, though they knew as well as he that they may be following him to their deaths.

Carlisle began running through the landing checklist a half an hour before the plane reached their destination. Emmett stood, still as silent as sunshine on a spring day, and grabbed Carlisle's hand with a hard squeeze before walking away.

Carlisle kept his eyes forward, but blinked away the emotion stinging his eyes. He had lived a full and plentiful existence. He was a very lucky man, indeed. He just prayed that luck would hold out awhile longer.

**Remember a few chapters ago when I said the last two characters came into play? Yeah, well, forget it. Forget everything I've said before now, in review replies and author notes, because none of it matters. This story is writing me, not the other way around. I no longer have control over it. I'm with you guys to see where this whole ride s going. Reviews and speculations are welcome and loved. Let me know what you're thinking!!  
**


	18. Chapter 18

**All recognizable characters are the property of SMeyer and CClare, respectively. **

**Just to clarify, I heart Felix. Also, this story owns me right now. I can't stop. Thanks to everyone who feeds my need to write.**

**Oh, and I hope the perspective switches aren't too Blair Witch Project. I just crave Bella in first person. The others, not so much.  
**

**Chapter 18**

**Death is the Easy Part of Dying**

**or**

**When the Predator Becomes the Prey**

Jace rolled his eyes impatiently at the wolves, currently making bashful googly eyes at each other around Simon's shoulder. For his part, Simon was determined not to notice the way Jacob couldn't take his eyes off Maia. Simon kept his hand around hers, holding on with an almost possessive force.

Clary wasn't really sure what to think, but took the cue from everyone else and ignored it. They had more important things to worry about right now even if a part of her stung at the obvious connection happening, and wishing this wouldn't end in hurt her friend, already knowing it would. She chanced a sideways glance at him, seeing the narrowed anger sparking only in his dark eyes. The rest of her best friend seemed uncharacteristically detached.

"There aren't many warlocks who'd even attempt such a rare spell," Jace muttered bringing Clary's eyes back to him; they always went back to Jace. "This has Magnus written all over it."

This really caught her attention and Clary moved away from what was once a wall of the cabin where she'd been leaning. "Magnus?" she questioned, wondering herself how the High Warlock of Brooklyn could have gotten involved in this.

Jace gave her a short nod, but neither one of them really noticed the way his eyes grazed over her. "We just have to figure out what he was doing here," he went on slowly, "and where he went."

Just then, they heard the unmistakable tone of a cell phone playing. Five heads snapped toward the direction it came from. Nothing moved, no one even breathed until it rang again. Then, all five were running to the trees.

It stopped chiming when they were waist deep in the underbrush. Jacob cursed under his breath and Clary felt completely forlorn. She'd never expected this thick tangle of snagging brambles and rotting leaves. From nowhere, another sound echoed nearby. Another phone. Surprised, they intensified their searching, cornering in on it when it, too, ceased. Jacob's curse was much louder this time.

It was the third time they heard a ringing that Jacob finally lifted a sleek phone from the ground. His nose wrinkled a bit as he pinched it delicately between two fingers like it was hot to touch. Or poisonous. Clary couldn't tell which, but either way he looked like he was handling a bomb as he brought it immediately to Jace.

"It smells like bloodsuckers," he hissed, dropping the phone into Jace's open hand like so much filthy trash. As soon as he was free of the offending phone, his eyes went back to Maia.

Jace lifted it and inhaled slightly, but shook his head. He could smell demon from miles away, but a phone was a phone. He didn't smell anything. He flicked it open with his thumb and stared as the words popped up on the little screen.

"_Missed call: Carlisle_," he read.

"Give me that." Jacob snatched the phone back swiftly, surprising even Jace a little. "Carlisle?" he wondered staring into the phone. "It can't be."

With slightly shaking fingers, Jacob ignored the missed call and pressed the little green phone to read through the recent calls. An _oh shit_ escaped his lips.

There, mocking Jacob Black were names he never wanted to see again. Bile rose to his throat as he choked out the last one on the list.

"_Edward_."

It came out sharper than his swearing a moment ago, but the name caught both Jace and Clary's attention immediately. Clary found herself feeling a little hopeful that Bella was with her lost beau, but she didn't miss Jace's face as it slipped into almost the mirror image of Jacob's. Both had an angry glint to their eyes and neither one of them seemed to be feeling any sort of hope for their situation.

"Let me see," Clary said and found herself reaching and taking the phone held loosely in Jacob's mitt-sized claw.

She didn't bother with contacts and pressed one to connect with the voicemail. There was no password set and Clary's idea paid off when a smooth male voice greeted her over the phone.

"_Alice, its Carlisle. We have…we have an issue that's come up. We need you to get in touch with us immediately._" There was a pause and only the sound of one slow ragged breath.

"_The Volturi has asked our presence with them on Thursday. We have no choice. He wants the entire family there. I can't reach Edward or Jasper. I hope you're together and safe." _Again, there was a hesitant pause. Clary could sense the nerves through the taped message. "_We miss you, and the boys. We're boarding the plane now and expect to land in about ten hours. Please call us as soon as you can. Even if it's just to message and let me know you're safe." _ The man cleared his voice, a heavy sad sound. _"I don't know if you can see this, Alice, but please, we need to show a united front on this. I...I need you all by my side. _

"_Please come."_

The voicemail beeped. Everything was silent as Clary thought over the words she heard. She lifted her eyes, breathing hard, ready to hand it over for the others to hear. She hadn't expected them to be hovering so close. She hadn't noticed them leaning closer to hear the weak tone while Clary listened.

"Do you think they've gone to Italy?" she asked, breaking the pressing quiet.

"It doesn't matter where they went," Jake snorted. "They're the reason anything happened to Bells in the first place. All this is their fault! If she had any sense, she'd be running the opposite way."

Clary caught his eye with a disbelieving look. He knew as well as she that there was little chance that was what happened.

"I think Magnus has taken them," Jace interrupted the stare. "Magic and technology don't mix. The cell phones were probably left behind when they jumped through his portal."

"What does that mean? Where've they gone? Do they know where she is?" All the panic came roaring back over Clary.

She looked in a dizzy haze at Jace. His golden eyes were soft. He wanted to comfort her, but didn't know how to without overstepping the boundaries Clary had laid down for them. He'd touch her and never want to stop. Even dropping her fingers was a struggle. A struggle she didn't have that left him feeling strange and broken. It was not a feeling he liked.

Once again, Jace gulped back the pain as he watched Simon's hand unlace Maia's and take Clary's. A small gesture he could never offer. And it killed him how badly he wanted to.

It didn't take much discussion before they decided their best bet was Italy. As they raced back down the mountain in a loose group, it was not lost on any of them that this time it was Jacob's hand holding Maia's and Simon's around Clary's.

Jace had never felt more alone than he did then, but even worse, he could feel time slipping through their embraced fingers.

***

I don't know when the burning began to fade. My screaming never seemed to diminish. It only grew louder and louder as it bounded about in my head and through my body. My throat was dry, protesting the harsh force of air, but I couldn't stop the agony of the fires so screamed on until my throat tasted thick with blood and I choked on the dry taste on my tongue.

That's when I noticed my body wasn't on fire. Rather, it felt like I was still smoldering, just not ablaze. Slowly, I felt a tickling and the heat began to draw from my fingers, pulling slowly toward my heart. It pounded with resistance, stuttering in the struggle to keep the fires away. But it was no use. The agony dripped closer, leaving my bones and muscles feeling cold and heavy as it escaped.

It was strange, experiencing death. Nothing I had learned in the dozens of Sunday school classes I had attended during Rene's religious phases prepared me for death. Heart thundering near my throat as it burned hotter and fiercer as the blaze seared through my pounding chest before coming to rest at the back of my throat in a swirl of avenging pain.

For three heavy, impossibly slow heartbeats, time stopped moving. My breath gasped in, then stalled, a horrifying rattle emanating from inside me. The pain turned blazing white, taking the darkness that never truly saved me from the agony of dying. Then, my heart stuttered near my throat.

_Thu-dud..._

_Thu-dud…_

_Thu…_

Silence.

Nothing.

Death.

That part was easy. Death is easy. Dying is what's hard.

Everything was different when I opened my eyes. This was not the same world I had closed them to when the fire began to burn me away. Until that moment, I hadn't even realized what was happening, but now, blinking in a pitch black room and seeing the aging mortar holding the stones together in the far wall and a tiny albino spider weaving a web in the corner, I _knew_.

The burning in my throat was still there, but I understood why. I choked on it, feeling like it was bile rising. My fingers slid to my throat, feeling a smooth surface that was cool, but not cold as I remembered his skin to be.

I pulled in a shaky breath, instantly regretting it. The air tasted stale and coppery. In that one breath I could taste a century of dust, mold, and even the unique flavor of the spider's little web. That was actually a bit salty and thick on my tongue and I wondered if I could eat it.

I blinked quickly, trying to shake off my own thoughts. That's when it all came crashing down. The last bit of my mind that was resistant to the things I was experiencing cracked. I knew what I was. My mind screamed to admit it just like that burn in my throat seemed to pound in the absence of my heart, taunting me with complete understanding.

Only then did things come back to me. Memory after memory crowded into the limitless space that invaded my mind. Human memories, I didn't even know I knew, cemented into my thoughts, rooting deep. Charlie, Renee, Jake, Clary…_Edward_. I found thinking his name didn't hurt. I supposed after dying, nothing would compare. I did feel a twinge, a feeling of longing.

The door opened. I jumped to my feet, arching my back, suddenly furious that my memories were interrupted. Already, they seemed to be fading around the edges, changing into old home movies from another era.

A sound reverberated through the room, slicing into my ears with an eerie satisfaction until I realized it was growling from my own chest. I shifted left as the figure hovering in the doorway stepped forward. I was grateful there was no light to blind me. The hallway behind the figure was dark with only the flicker of candlelight from far down the corridor. But the face was thrown into shadows by a deep black hooded cloak. I was tense and anticipating, moving when he did. I knew my apprehension was obvious, but still he entered the room without pause.

"Lord Aro seeks your company," a low voice said from inside the hood.

As soon as I heard the word, I could taste the breath on my tongue and I recognized it immediately.

"Felix?"

The hood dropped away revealing the dark haired, broad shouldered vampire who had bitten me. I wondered if I was supposed to feel a connection to him, but as those crimson eyes raked over me, I felt nothing aside from the irritation abating through the recognition. There were no deeper feelings, but I was not angry with him. Part of me already admitted I was glad for the change at last, even if my original reason for becoming this was taken away months ago. There remained a relief at it finally happening, though the unease remained locked in place inside my muscles.

He held out his hand. My mind pictures Emmett's dimpled smile. Felix rivaled Emmett on size and held the same kind of commanding presence. His eyes were a starkly different color but I swore I could see something inside them that mirrored the big brother that should have been mine. I wasn't able to place it right then, but I reached my own arm forward, feeling the way my muscles extended and breathed in the movement. I met his rough palm with a tentative touch and he wrapped my tiny fingers in his palm gently and tugged me forward.

This time, I watched everything as we moved through the dark corridor. With my heightened senses, I could see even the slightest dips in the floor yards ahead of me and could count the thousands of tiny stones as we walked. It was surreal, liberating even. I may have been bouncing slightly next to the hulking figure of Felix as we moved. Excitement seemed to be building despite my best efforts to remind myself that this was not a vacation. This was probably the furthest thing from a relaxing trip to the beach as I could get, yet I couldn't stop from adding the extra spring to my steps as we moved silently through the castle.

I felt more alive than I ever had. Those first minutes in this new existence was like waking to the life I should have been living all along. It seemed natural, as natural as the air I used to need to fuel my body, as natural as blinking, or as natural as loving…him.

Or as the tremor that raced through me thinking about him. Again, that intense longing stabbed into my silent chest and ached for his touch. Felix must have noticed the tremble and gripped a little harder to my hand. A few seconds later, he was pushing through an ornate wooden door into the huge domed room I'd been brought before. My fading human memories latched on to the first sight of the three inhuman and ancient royalty.

This time, it wasn't a happy tremor that roiled through me. Seconds later, I was assaulted by a mixture of new and fresh scents, swamping my taste buds. Some I recognized from the first time here, though the smells were infinitely enhanced. Others had a deeper richer flavor that blazed in my throat, causing it to burn with a different kind of longing. I could almost feel my eyes sliding into blackness as an unfamiliar hunger washed through my body. There was blood here. _Fresh_ blood.

Sensing the sudden tension creeping back into m, Felix closed his hand harder still in an effort to keep me in place, but that's when I heard it, a delicious thump, thump, signifying something alive and breathing. My eyes moved instinctually to the far end of the room, where a door was the only thing separating me from the blood that enraged my throat and consumed my senses. Once we were in that room, nothing existed outside the sweet rhythm of a frightened heart and the lure of the warm blood it pulsed through delicate human veins.

A slick bitter taste coated my mouth. My venom was flowing in anticipation of a meal. As much as I wished I could bite it back, crush the urge to burst through that thin little piece of wood to quench the burning thirst, every fiber of my being was pulled toward that door, the promise of a warm meal.

Felix was holding my wrist with both hands now, but I was pulling him toward the human. I could feel the cool trails of the venom as it slipped from my mouth and down the corners of my lips. I felt rabid, my predator exploding toward its prey. I strained against him, furiously fighting his restraint now. I probably would have torn my own arm off in effort to get to my meal. Nothing else mattered in those minutes but the sound of the blood pumping and the taste of my venom flowing.

Suddenly, my other arm was captured by another steel grasp with none of the pretense of delicacy as Felix had used. I snarled and bared my teeth, flashing them toward the new obstacle. As dark and wide as Felix, his dark eyes were narrowed and angry. I fed off the rage I saw a lunged for him instead.

Before I realized what was happening, I was on the man's chest, pushing him to the ground. My arm ripped wildly from Felix's grasp when I changed directions. With all his effort, he pushed against my neck, trying desperately to keep my dripping mouth from his flesh. The narrowed eyes were now wide and wide and panic ate the anger from them.

In my frenzy, I bent his elbow and ripped into his neck. The hard flesh gave easily in my dagger-like teeth, ripping easily into my mouth. A black substance gushed from the torn wound, but I but again and again, completely lost in the smell, the desire, the taste. I really had no control. It wasn't even me ripping at the mammoth vampire like he was a chocolate bar.

"Enough!" a voice rang through the chamber.

Half a dozen hands were on me, pulling me away from the whimpering figure that cowered beneath me, but my attention had already been separated by the voice. I barely bothered to glance back at the cringing man beneath me and shook the hands away, turning to face the master of the voice. I already knew to whom it belonged before my eyes landed on the ancient vampire.

Dark hair black as raven's wings, and skin pale as ice and just as translucent grinned at me. Aro stood only a few feet from me, smiling like an idiot and with eyes dancing excitement.

"Bella!" he exclaimed, grasping my limp hand with his. I noticed the tar substance staining them, making them sticky and smelling like the taste on my tongue. I pushed away the urge to lick the venom from my fingers. Seeing the hunger flashing through me, Aro patted the backs of my hands softly.

"Soon, child. Soon."

And I was placated.

Aro turned and guided me to the raised dais where his brothers sat watching me with little more emotion than Caius's scowl. Strangely, I was not intimidated by them now. It might have been the shredded vampire I could hear being dragged out of the room behind us, but I held my shoulders high and kept my eyes steady as I approached. I felt good. I felt invincible.

"Brothers, Bella has completed her change, and I must say I am only buoyed by what we've seen. I believe we have chosen a wise path."

Aro released my hand and slipped into the empty throne, leaving me hovering in front of them. Three pairs of foggy eyes assessed me closely as I hesitated. I sensed those strange eyes were looking deep beneath the surface as their eyes met mine.

"You've let her destroy Demetri, to prove what?" Caius hissed through his tight lips. "That she is a typical newborn? Please."

"Ah, but dear brother," Aro answered in a lilting voice, his smile widening, "when have you seen a neophyte turn down a human meal?"

Caius lifted his eyebrow and looked very much like he wanted to point the fault in his brother's reasoning, but Aro continued before he had a chance to open his mouth.

"For a _vampire_ meal, brother," he clarified, lifting his own eyebrow as he continued to look me over.

"Other than you," the third vampire brother said in his disinterested voice and signaled to where Caius was scowling again at me.

"Other than you," Aro repeated, cementing the statement for all ears.

The ancient vampire rose again, moving the dew steps until he was directly in front of me. "I knew you were special, but I had no idea how promising you'd be." His fingers grabbed mine again. I watched as his face flickered. He was testing me again, but dropped my fingers when he realized he wasn't going to see anything. Undeterred, his smile fell back in place.

"They'll be here soon, dear. I hope it's a pleasant reunion. Please let Felix escort you to your meal," he said plainly, gesturing the vampire forward.

Felix had been standing where I'd left him, still looking a little unsure as he grabbed me again. This time it was more obvious he was increasing his strength, but the grasp on my wrist was not in the least uncomfortable. I knew now that Felix was no match for my strength. I flexed my arm and saw Felix's brows rise when he felt it. I inwardly chuckled that they thought this one vampire was enough to restrain me. He knew he wasn't, either. I saw the knowledge flicker in his eyes before he focused on the door and guided me toward it.

I may have thought about running, but everything was wiped away as the warmth of the beating heart saturated my senses again, calling to me behind the flimsy door. After that, there was only one thing running through my mind.

_Feed. Feed. Feed. Feed._

**Like I said this so owns me. **

**It's devouring me! Help feed my madness with reviews!**

**Hope everyone has a happy holiday season and good luck for the New Year!!**


	19. Chapter 19

**Yeah, I suck at updating this story. If its any consolation we're in the thick of things now. Hopefully I don't lose momentum again. Thanks to everyone who's stuck around.**

**Nobody belongs to me...**

**Chapter 19**

**City of the Angels**

**And**

**City of the Dead**

Of the many words Jace could use to describe himself, few had been unknown before today. Like for instance, stupid, asinine, mentally impaired.

Chancing a look behind him and catching the familiar red streaks shimmering in the cold yellow light of the streetlamps, it was all too clear. He would do anything for her, for his sister. Jace focused into the gloom ahead and attempted to shake away his thoughts. It would serve no one if he kept brooding there. He could do nothing to change the mocking hand fate had dealt him.

He raised a muscular arm to signal the others to stop. Luckily they were unnatural enough to move with the same stealth and tact as he could himself, but just bringing them here, a place where only a select few ever entered, made each footstep and exhale echo through his ears.

Determining, once again, that there was no one down the dark alleyway Jace proceeded with caution. Behind him, Clary moved with startling covertness. The lines of her petite frame had grown hard and lean in her training. She could hardly be considered a girl any longer. She was soft angles and fluid curves. He was glad he was leading and not trapped behind her, but it still made it difficult to concentrate.

Simon followed closely behind her with Jake and Maia bringing up the rear. They already moved like two parts of the same machine. It was a strange, uncomfortable thing to witness and it was just as impossible to ignore. Something inexplicable drew the two together and neither seemed willing to let go. Jace would never admit he was jealous of how uncomplicated it was for them.

The sleeping streets of Idris were humming with a low blanket of white noise, but no one was about at this late an hour. Jace was grateful for at least the small miracles as he continued down the alley, motley crew following tensely behind. Being caught in Idris without strict permission of the Clave was illegal. Bringing in a slew of downworlders was a capital offense. Idris had remained, for centuries, the city of shadowhunters. It had long been separate and above all other places. Not long ago, Jace night have considered himself separate and above. There was no way he would have considered bringing anyone into the famed City of Glass. Of course, that was before Clary.

He wished he could hold her hand, but knew it was wrong to even think it, so settled for hoping Simon was too nervous to do it. He couldn't bear to look back and see, but couldn't stop his thoughts from continuously tormenting him with visions. If Jace were completely honest, he kind of liked Simon, if he looked past the whole Children of the Night thing. He would definitely be a far cry from the faeries and other scum that Isabelle had brought home over the years. But he couldn't stomach the idea of Clary with anyone other than him and it was sick and wrong on so many levels and still impossible to deny.

That was why he was shepherding his flock through the most dangerous city on earth (to them as well as himself if they were caught.) Clary could ask him for anything and he would never deny her. It was impossible.

It had really been a coincidence that Jace had vacationed with the Lightwoods in Italy the summer after he had arrived at the Institute. It was luck that he still remembered the way to the portal that would take them directly to Volterra. That had been a hard time in his young life, but he led through a twisted maze of streets and alleys in the right direction, hoping that once they trekked across the city they would be able to access the portal.

And still, they had no way of knowing for sure where Clary's pretty brunette friend had gone. The most they knew was that whoever was following her was likely to end up there and it was all they had to go on. It didn't really fit with Valentine's M.O., taking her straight into the hands of the downworlders he so despised, but at this point, Jace couldn't be surprised by anything his father tried. He was loose cannon, liable to do anything to get what he wanted.

The big question remained, what was it that Valentine desired? And how could a simple mundie get him closer to his goal? Jace shook his disparagingly. Without understanding Valentine's ultimate goal (aside from wiping out all downworlders and seizing control of Idris) and how Bella figured into it, Jace was just moving aimlessly. He had no idea what to expect, if by some slim chance they made it across the city and into the lair of the coldones. He had really never felt so ill-prepared before.

The comforting weight of the blessed metal at his side was semi-reassuring, but he was afraid he was walking into a suicide mission. Not even the Clave made insane attempts to meet with the vampire coven on their turf. Just add it to the list of crazy things Jace had done today.

"How much further?" Clary whispered when he stopped and studied an open intersection.

"Not much," he answered and pointed across the well lit street at a shop front with hanging baskets overflowing with flowers hung in the windows. Tall leafy plants obscured the view of the inside, but that was where they were headed. The portal was hidden in a closet on the second floor.

"What are we waiting for?" the shapeshifter growled impatiently.

Jace held up his had gesturing them to be silent. He was positive he had heard something. The five of them held their breath for a long time and Jace slowed his rising heart rate to listen. It was seemingly quiet. Nothing moved on Idris' empty streets, yet he was sure...

The shouting came from everywhere at once. Jace had been naïve to believe they had just traipsed across the shadowhunter stronghold unnoticed. They had been followed since entering the sleepy city and had stirred up quite the mob of Nephillium. As the Clave's men stalked toward them, Jace wondered what the hell he could say to get any of them out of this mess. For one panicked second, he actually considered trying to fight, but Clary already formed a plan of her own. Her voice was a whisper, but even without turning to look at her, Jace knew her face was controlled and stubborn as always.

"Run!" she urged.

So, they did, each heading straight for the quaint little flower shop he had shown them moments ago.

The street came alive around them. Spears of white and blue light stabbed into the night sky as the shadowhunters let loose an arsenal of weaponry. Jake and Maia finally separated and were dodging the bombardment as they raced toward the store front. Seconds later, Jace skidded to a stop. Simon was cut off by a hulking shadowhunter dressed in sleek, black gear. With amazing speed, the vampire spun right out of reach of the glowing dagger pointed at his neck. From nowhere, Clary appeared at his side, baring her sword at the man threatening her friend. Jace could see the flash of his eyes from where he stood and began running toward them. He watched as the man lunged forward, biting back his terror at seeing someone attacking Clary. But, she ducked at the last moment, parrying the sword with her own.

Stumbling when he did not meet the intended target, the shadowhunter fell to one knee. With a graceful swoop, Clary raised her sword again, readying to bring it down on the hapless man's neck. The motion was fluid enough to look like dancing, but the beauty was lost by the horror of it.

Jace grabbed her wrist and felt her tendons tighten beneath his hold. There was an instant where he was afraid he wouldn't be able to stop her, but then her eyes met his. The fierce power swirling in the green eyes subsided under his touch but Jace instinctively clamped tighter on her wrist. They couldn't kill a fellow shadowhunter. Doing so would make them no better than Valentine. Besides, they were on the same side. Despite the illicit activities that had led Jace and the others into the dark streets of Idris, these men were not enemies.

Clary seemed to read the emotion in his eyes. Then, she was the one pulling him toward the flower shop. The cool feel of undead fingers linked on his forearm and Simon was helping to drag Jace to their destination. He let his feet stumble the first few steps, then snapped back into reality and began to run again.

Jake was already throwing the stone into the huge picture window by the time Jace could even focus on what was ahead of them. The glass cracked, a spiderweb of tiny fissures erupting across the shiny surface. For a breath, it held, the pieces forced together by some law of physics Jace couldn't recall the name of, until someone shouted from behind. The entire window cracked, each piece smashing to the ground with a thunderous noise.

Jace didn't think the guard knew why the misfits were in their city until they saw the window falling down and by then, it was too late. Small shards were still raining on their heads, but Jace was urging everyone inside and directing them up the stairs. In a whirlwind of noise and shouting, they scrambled upstairs, the shadowhunters racing up behind. Jace was aware they were close, possibly too close, but he pushed at Clary's back, hoping to at least get the others through the portal before he was apprehended. He resolved to break the connection as soon as the others were through. He doubted the Clave would willingly jump to Volterra, even to chase a gang of criminals, but it was better to be safe. The portal would have to be destroyed immediately, regardless of whether Jace made it through at all.

The full length mirror that was revealed in the upstairs closet was no less amazing than the first time he had seen it. It looked like an ordinary, albeit stunning, mirror, inlaid with heavy mahogany and iron attesting to its ageless craftsmanship. The others had stopped and were staring in open awe. Jace couldn't blame them. Looking into a mirror than did not reflect the things before it was unsettling at best. Instead of seeing the downworlders gawking at the fine glass, the reflection revealed a room thousands of miles away.

Jace could see the rich browns and leather of the room in Italy where the portal would take them. He could recall even the smell of it as it had been when he was a child. But there was no time to waste dwelling in the nostalgia of days gone by. They had to move. Shadowhunters were already piling in below them. Jace could hear the rough and panting breaths of a few already rushing toward the stairs.

"Go!" he shouted and it was enough to break the tenuous trance.

For a second, no one moved and Jace thought for sure they would be caught. Then, Clary pushed her way to the front of the pack and jumped right into the portal, without even looking back. The mirror rippled like a stone thrown in a pond and they could see her on the other side as she glanced warily around the room.

Before he could say anything else, Clary motioned toward them and Jake was gone. Maia immediately followed before the rippling had a chance to disperse. Simon was the one to hesitate. He glanced over his shoulder, just as the first shadowhunter lunged up the stairs missing Jace's ankle by a hair.

In his attempt to dodge the grip, Jace collided into Simon's back and sent the vampire sprawling forward and into the glass. Without Simon's body to stop his momentum, Jace landed against the wood trim of the mirror, with one hand breaching the glass half a world away.

It was too late for him. The grabby shadowhunter was on him now. His hand curled into a tight fist around Jace's calf. He tried to kick at the man, satisfied when the bottom of his boot connected with the man's face, resulting in a painful groan. But it wasn't enough. More of them had climbed the steps and were trying to edge around Jace to get between him and the portal.

They were shouting, but their voices were lost in the roar of his heart against his chest. At least he would be comforted knowing Clary had gotten away. He would not think of where she was because at the moment, he couldn't decide with city was the lesser of two evils. At least in Volterra she still had a chance.

He was ready to give in, to stop fighting and accept that he was caught when a huge, russet colored arm shot out of the mirror above his head. It connected with the jaw of one of the shadowhunters who grunted and fell on top of Jace in a heap. The force pushed Jace toward the ground, his arm slipping from the mirror as he went.

But, then, Jake's arm grabbed him and pulled with tremendous strength. The downed shadowhunter rolled off of him limply and Jace would have been pulled clear through if not for the man attached to his foot. Again, he began kicking, uncomfortably twisting his body to see the man hanging on to him. Jace was completely suspended. His body, fighting to free itself from sure punishment was grounded in Idris and his arm penetrated the cool mirrored façade that led to Italy.

Suddenly, more arms burst through the glass. Jace was aware of the rippling sensation as it bent and waved around his arm. Simon's pale ones joined Jacob as they engaged in a tug of war through time and space in an effort to get Jace to them.

Just as instantly as everything had begun, the tension, the stretching was gone. Jace was weightless for half a heartbeat before he landed on top of the rather unattractive and slightly smelly bodies whose arms had just wrenched him to safety.

Ever vigilant, Jace leaped to his feet and tugged at the huge mirror hanging on the wall above them. Inside he saw into the closet in Idris and the red and angry faces of three very upset Nephillium. Reacting as fast as his body granted, Jace ripped the frame from the wall and threw it across the room. Maia ducked out of the way and the mirror exploded on the far wall just as the black clothed arm of a shadowhunter reached through the glass.

Everyone was silent until their ragged breathing slowed. Jace looked at the wearied faces of the others, a little blown away by the sheer magnitude of what was happening.

Jake and Simon were on their feet again, a vampire and werewolf, side by side, and both looking decidedly better than Jace felt. Maia had recovered having the portal tossed at her, but only had eyes for the owner of the deeply tan arm that had helped pull him through.

Clary was in the worst shape. She was nervous and shaking as her eyes roved over Jace. He grimaced at her, not wanting her pity and longing for something so much more, but pulled it into a smirk, trying to pretend when he felt like breaking.

"We're here," he quipped.

Clary rolled her eyes and smiled before turning away.

Then, the door opened. Five shocked expressions turned toward it as a slender, young vampire slid inside and closed the door behind her. The silence became absolute. No one dared breathe as the woman standing in the broken debris of the portal took in their surprised faces. Her nostrils flared briefly and her eyes opened wide, revealing the harsh realization of what they were facing. Eyes, impossibly red and so bright they seemed to glow were assessing them with a malice Simon would never be able to replicate.

Jace made to move between the violent stare and his friends, inwardly snorting when he found he actually considered them that, but Clary moved first.

It was a hesitant step, unsure and wary, but her arm raised and Jace could no longer see the vampire. His body automatically coiled, ready to spring forward, ready to keep Clary safe at all costs. He had never seen a child of the night boasting eyes that color. It made him even more nervous than before. He hadn't thought to encounter something _else _in Volterra, but it was evident this was no ordinary vampire.

The sound of Clary's voice, shaking and terrified, made him pause mid-step. "Bella?"

Three sharp bangs rattled the door the vampire leaned against.

"What's going on in there?" A booming voice shouted through the thick wood. "Who's in there?" And when no one said a word, he added in a more frantic and feral tone, "Bella?"

They stayed quiet. Jace finished moving forward somewhat surprised that Clary hadn't been attacked yet. If it was indeed Bella, she was very new to this. She shouldn't have been able to control herself this long. His eyes assessed the changes.

Her hair was vibrant, gleaming in the soft light of the room. Her skin was milky and pale, and both more angled and softer than it had been before. Jace even thought she looked a little taller. But it was impossible to decipher her glowing, bloodied eyes.

Out of the corner of his eye, Jace could see Jake was trembling, but his shaking surpassed the mild shivers from Clary. He sensed immediately the shapeshifter was close to snapping and knew he needed to diffuse the situation before it ended up in an all out brawl. He didn't want that to happen anywhere near Clary.

The red eyes snapped to look at Jake's quivering form. She looked for a long time as the furious banging continued behind her.

Then she blinked.

Twice.

"Jake?"

Bella threw herself across the room and into the shapeshifter's arms before any of them had a chance to react. Her arms wrapped around his broad shoulders and she buried her face in his chest as the sobs burst out. Jake's nose twisted for a moment, but this was Bella. This was his best friend. Tentatively he moved his arms and encircled Bella's slender frame, engulfing her in his hugeness. Jace was at a loss and catching Jake's wondering eyes knew the wolf was, too.

Tears began trailing down Clary's face and her hand found Jace's hanging at his side. Without bothering to ask or even meet his surprised look, she weaved her fingers into his and held tight.

"You really do stink," Bella mumbled after a few moments and broke away from the embrace.

Maia snorted. Simon nodded his assent. Jacob leaned down and sniffed his armpit.

The door behind them flew open, bursting through the reunion. They whirled to see it smash against the wall, hanging only by the bottom hinge. A mammoth of a man stepped into the room and snarled loudly.

Jace reached for his belt and his sword was in hand by the time the vampire was on him, but surprisingly, he hadn't even moved to strike before the dark haired leach was flying backward. He thudded against the wall, landing on his feet in the shattered glass debris.

His eyes were narrowed but staring to Jace's left where Bella crouched low and intimidating. A fierce growl rumbled through her chest.

"Stay away from them," she threatened.

Jace was as surprised as both Clary and Jake who had known Bella's human voice so well, but even he could hear the melodic quality it had lacked previously. It was a thousand layers of tone yet as beautiful as a simple bell.

The other vampire eyed her warily before straightening out of his crouch. "I don't get you," he said with genuine amusement. "First you feed from one of your own, then defend a werewolf.

"What the hell is wrong with you?"

**A/N: So, I still like reviews...**


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